Potential Tight End Targets for Dolphins Following Smith Trade

The Miami Dolphins surprised the NFL world Monday by agreeing to a blockbuster trade with the Pittsburgh Steelers that included sending Jalen Ramsey and Jonnu Smith to Pittsburgh in exchange for Minkah Fitzpatrick and a late-round pick swap.

This deal would mean several things for Miami’s roster, but it seems like the team is focused on replacing Smith in the tight end room first.

Shortly after reports of the trade filtered in, NFL Media’s Tom Pelissero reported the Dolphins were in contact with several teams about trading for a tight end.

The #Dolphins are now in conversations with multiple teams about acquiring a tight end after sending Jonnu Smith to Pittsburgh, per sources.

A wild start to the holiday week could get wilder … pic.twitter.com/11EGxDsVMp
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) June 30, 2025

This shouldn’t be too surprising because the Dolphins' tight end room isn’t exactly inspiring. Miami splits its tight end room into two roles: “Y” tight end and “F” tight end.

The “Y” tight end is a primary blocker who plays in-line more than not. Julian Hill and free agent Pharaoh Brown occupy this role. The “F” tight end was Smith’s spot, and it’s usually reserved for a player with good pass-catching skills. Tanner Conner and Jalin Conyers are the next men up in that spot.

Keeping that in mind, the Dolphins have a few options for potential trade targets.

They could look for a direct Smith replacement and acquire a “big slot,” or they could acquire a more well-rounded, in-line player and use someone like Nick Westbrook-Ikhine in Smith’s role. Miami’s offseason moves indicate they’re more interested in doing the latter, so we will focus on bigger, in-line tight ends for this piece.

Potential Dolphins Tight End Trade Targets

Michael Mayer, Las Vegas Raiders

Michael Mayer is a name that jumped out to many because his fit with the Dolphins makes a ton of sense. Plus, the Raiders reportedly put Mayer on the trade block this offseason but couldn’t find a suitor.

Although many will point to the team already having Brock Bowers as a reason to trade Mayer, the more likely reason is the Raiders' change at general manager and coach. Using two tight ends — especially ones with complementary skill sets like Bowers and Mayer — isn’t remotely difficult

However, there’s a chance that John Spytek and Pete Carroll want to bring in their own players, as Mayer was already floated in trade talks.

The former second-round pick from Notre Dame’s career has gotten off to an interesting start. As a rookie, he caught 27 of 40 targets for 304 yards and two touchdowns in 14 games (12 starts). Those numbers aren’t crazy, but rookie tight ends are rarely highly productive.

This past season saw a major dip in his numbers for a few reasons. Firstly, Mayer started just eight games and played in 11. He missed a chunk of the season for what’s been labeled as “personal reasons,” being placed on the Non-Football Illness list.

On the field, Mayer was behind Bowers and catching passes from a combination of Aidan O’Connell, Desmond Ridder and Gardner Minshew.

So why should the Dolphins take a look at Mayer? Well, he’s an ideal fit for an in-line role. He’s 6-4, 265 pounds and was billed as a solid blocker coming out of college. He still needs some consistency, but there are good flashes, like this play against the Dolphins.

Watch Mayer completely push Emmanuel Ogbah out of the gap, leading to an easy first down.

pic.twitter.com/vN6nxx0KDT
— Dante Collinelli (@DanteCollinelli) June 30, 2025

Mayer can do that, and he’s capable of creating in the passing game like in this play against the New Orleans Saints.

pic.twitter.com/bYjhhXppG4
— Dante Collinelli (@DanteCollinelli) June 30, 2025

The Dolphins haven’t had a tight end who can block and poses a real threat from the in-line spot in quite a while. Mayer has all the tools to become that player with the right opportunity.

Cole Kmet, Chicago Bears

Kmet checks several of the same boxes as Mayer. While there have been some grumblings that the Bears would be willing to move Kmet, most of it is driven by the media, as nothing concrete has been reported by a prominent source.

Setting that aside, the Bears did draft Michigan tight end Colston Loveland in the top 10 of the 2025 NFL draft, so it would be surprising to see Kmet maintain his target share this season.

Additionally, Kmet is slated to make $9.9 million guaranteed this season, which is quite a lot for a TE2, even if the Bears use a lot of two-tight end sets.

For the Dolphins, they could easily absorb Kmet’s contract for this season, and then there’s no more guaranteed money on his deal, according to Over The Cap.

On the field, Kmet (also from Notre Dame) is listed at 6-5, 250 pounds, which is the right size to play a versatile in-line role. He has plenty of experience as a run blocker and is good enough to make defenses respect him.

However, unlike Mayer, Kmet is more proven as a receiver. Kmet’s breakout season came in 2023 when he had 73 catches on 90 targets for 719 yards and six touchdowns.

His numbers dipped last season (47 catches, 474 yards, and four touchdowns), as Chicago’s offense ground to a halt. Still, Kmet has posted at least 50 catches in three of his five seasons, and he missed that number by just three last year.

Kmet likely would cost more than Mayer, but the Dolphins would be wise to at least call Chicago.

Luke Schoonmaker, Dallas Cowboys

Of the names on this list, Luke Schoonmaker is probably the one who would have the smallest impact in Miami. However, he would fit the team’s mold of adding an in-line presence, and Dallas has enough depth to move on from the former second-round pick from Michigan.

Schoonmaker’s production won’t blow anyone away, but he was a functional pass catcher when given the chance last season. He finished with 27 catches on 36 targets for 241 yards and one touchdown, and 19 of his catches came after Week 10, so he finished strong.

That said, Schoonmaker’s skill set always lent itself better to blocking. He was an excellent blocker at Michigan, and he’s got the size (6-5, 260 pounds) to hold up against NFL linemen.

He struggled as a blocker during his rookie season but looked a lot stronger in 2024. Unlike Mayer and Kmet, who would likely be thrust into high-volume roles, Schoonmaker would have to battle with Hill and Brown.

It should be noted that Brown and Hill will both be free agents after this season.

Schoonmaker is an ascending talent with plenty of room to continue developing his skill set as a blocker and pass catcher on a rookie contract. For a team that’s trying to churn the roster for younger, cheaper talent, giving up a late Day 3 pick for Schoonmaker could be a smart move.

More Miami Dolphins Coverage