Golden Opportunity Waits for Dolphins Tight End University Participant

The past, present and possibly future of the Miami Dolphins and the position was on display at Tight End University this week.

Among the attendes at the annual event put together by George Kittle and Travis Kittle were current Dolphins tight end Greg Dulcich and veteran Darren Waller, who is still looking for a team after playing for Miami in 2025.

You’d be forgiven if you missed the Dolphins re-signing Dulcich this offseason. With so much focus on who was coming in at quarterback, and what other big names were leaving on the rest of the roster, Dulcich certainly qualifies as an under-the-radar signing.

At least in the eyes of the public. In the eyes of Jon-Eric Sullivan? Money talks. There were two free agents this offseason who received contracts worth more than the veteran minimum.

One was Malik Willis, who is going to be the team’s starting quarterback this fall. The other, was Dulcich, who Dulcich finished his fourth season as a pro last year with the Dolphins and enjoyed a career resurgence.

Dulcich caught 33 passes for 411 yards as a rookie for the Denver Broncos and looked ready to grow into a solid NFL contributor. He would catch eight passes total over the next two seasons, battling hamstring injuries and general inconsistency. After the Broncos waived Dulcich, he caught on with the Giants, but did not catch a pass for them.

2025 represented a new opportunity for Dulcich, as he signed in Miami as part of their practice squad last August. He was elevated to the active roster before ultimately signing to the 53-man roster in late October. He caught five passes in his first game of extended action, and enjoyed a strong finish to the season.

His highlight came in Week 17 when he had five catches for 58 yards and a touchdown in the victory against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and the Dolphins believe the best is yet to come.

Dolphins Make An Investment

The $3 million commitment to Dulcich in the offseason represents a commitment from the Dolphins, and a belief that he can be a key cog in the offense to guide the Dolphins through a transition period.

There’s also a chance that Dulcich becomes more than just a transition piece, but a foundational piece in the offense that the Dolphins are trying to build.

The Dolphins need pieces like that to emerge, and Dulcich at least gives them a chance to surround their new quarterback with a veteran presence.

Dulcich is more comfortable and represents a bit of continuity in a Dolphins offense that went through significant turnover in the offseason. If you remove De’Von Achane from the equation, the Dolphins are replacing four if their top six pass catchers from a season ago. Malik Washington and Dulcich are the two leading receivers who return to the roster from the 2025 season.

That could put Dulcich in line for a significant jump in production in 2026. Is he going to be like the aforementioned superstars who he is learning from in Kittle and Kelce? Probably not. That’s an unrealistic expectation for almost anyone in the NFL.

Is Dulcich going to replicate the production of Tucker Kraft, Jeff Hafley’s tight end in Green Bay from a season ago? That’s also probably unrealistic.

The reality of the Dolphins’ passing offense is that between Jaylen Waddle, Tyreek Hill and Darren Waller, there are 163 targets to replace from one season ago.

That assumes that Malik Willis will replicate the 479 pass attempts from a season ago. With Willis’ legs and the investment in De’Von Achane, the Dolphins likely want to be more run-centric in 2026.

Still, at some point, the NFL is a passing league, and the quarterback is going to have to throw the football from the pocket to win.

Could Dulcich jump from 26 catches up to 40? That’s possible. That’s even realistic considering the amount of targets that need to be replaced in the offense.

Will Willis Find Him?

One thing to consider is Willis’ usage of tight ends. When Willis played significant snaps over two seasons in Green Bay, the most amount of receptions by a tight end in game were Tucker Kraft’s four in the season finale of the 2024 season.

Last year, Luke Musgrave caught three passes for 38 yards against the Chicago Bears in late December. Perhaps the offense would have looked different if Kraft were healthy, but it is a situation worth monitoring. The Packers were certainly more wide receiver centric in their passing game with the investments they made in Christian Watson, Romeo Doubs, Jayden Reed, Dontayvion Wicks, and Matthew Golden.

The Dolphins do not have as much of an investment in their receiving corps. Dulcich is their highest-paid pass catcher. Perhaps that will mean more of the offense will focus on getting him the ball as a means to get their quarterback in a rhythm.

One thing is certain, Dulcich looked like his career was circling the drain just two years ago. Now, he has a golden opportunity with a franchise who believes in him.

A New Look at Tight End

With Dulcich leading the way along with rookie third-round pick Will Kacmarek, plus rookie fifth-round pick Seydou Traore, the Dolphins tight end room looks vastly different from this time last year.

Heading into the final days of June 2025, the Dolphins roster featured Jonnu Smith coming off a Pro Bowl season, along with young players Julian Hill and Tanner Conner.

All of them are gone, including Waller, who came in a trade with the New York Giants after Smith was included in the trade with Pittsburgh Steelers that included Jalen Ramsey and Minkah Fitzpatrick.

Dulcich, incredibly enough, now stands as the longest-tenured tight end on the roster.

And the Dolphins, based on the contract they gave him, clearly think he's got a chance to be around for a while longer.

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