MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — The Miami Dolphins don’t want a receiving tight end as badly as I do.
I realize that now. So I’m giving up on my request that they find a receiving tight end.
It took me a few months to reach this point, but it finally clicked.
Coach Mike McDaniel said it recently, and offensive coordinator Frank Smith reiterated the message: the Dolphins want their tight ends to play to their strengths.
“You need them to do what they already walked in the door good at, or in their minds, their strengths,” McDaniel said, “so that they can continue to develop something that is confident in their game.”
That’s smart football.
The Dolphins, by design, have a collection of in-line, or blocking tight ends.
Knowing that, it’s becoming apparent that the Dolphins’ No. 3 receiver, the person who gets targeted after wide receivers Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle, won’t be a tight end. Rather it’ll likely be a wide receiver or running back.
That’s fine. At least I know that now. I can give up on my desire for the Dolphins to find a receiving tight end.
It was a burning desire, as you know.
The Dolphins will roll with veteran Durham Smythe as their starting tight end, and he’ll be backed up by two- or three-man group that could include Tanner Conner, Tyler Kroft, Eric Saubert, rookie draftee Elijah Higgins, and undrafted rookie Julian Hill.
The Dolphins, of course, had Mike Gesicki, a receiving tight end, last season but he departed to New England during free agency. In one season, and one coaching change, Gesicki, who wasn’t an accomplished blocker, became a square peg for a round hole.
So he had to go.
For a while, I thought the Dolphins wanted a receiving tight end, just not Gesicki.
Here’s the thing I had in my mind all of last season: McDaniel presided over an offense in San Francisco that included All-World tight end George Kittle, an accomplished blocker and an even better receiver. Kittle was/is an offensive weapon. McDaniel has an innovative, creative offensive mind. I assumed McDaniel would seek the same versatility and playmaking in his tight end with the Dolphins.
That’s not the case.
Smith pretty much confirmed that when, on the final day of minicamp, I asked him about the pursuit of a receiving tight end.
“We’re fortunate enough for our wide receiver position, you know, we have a lot of guys there, so I mean, it’s using guys to their strengths, what they do well, and spring is that time where you can really work on those aspects,” Smith said.
In other words, the wide receivers are better receivers than the tight ends, whose strength is blocking, so the Dolphins will play to each position’s strengths.
Again, that’s smart football.
It’s not saying the Dolphins don’t want their tight ends to catch the ball, and it’s not saying they won’t work on the receiving aspect of their games.
It’s saying they’ll play to the tight ends’ strengths.
“With our offense,” Smith said, “blocking is as important as receiving. We don’t necessarily just focus on one aspect of the skill set, we focus on the complete part of the skill set, so pass protection, run blocking, and route running.”
I’m not certain if Smith was listing those skills in the Dolphins’ preferred order, but it’s kind of how I see their preferences lining up.
In the big picture it doesn’t matter whether the Dolphins prefer a receiving tight end, blocking tight end or combination tight end.
What matters is the Dolphins get their desired player for the job, and it appears that’s the case with Smythe.
The Dolphins knew what they wanted all along.
I’ve finally, painfully come to that realization.
My issue last season was the offense became predictable late in the year (throw to Hill, throw to Waddle, repeat), and getting Gesicki, and the run game, more involved could have helped. Yes, Gesicki had some crucial late-season drops but he was your best No. 3 offensive option.
But set that aside; it’s in the past.
The present, and future, is in-line (blocking) tight ends for the Dolphins.
The tight ends on the roster have the skill set the Dolphins desire.
I understand that now.
