The Miami Dolphins crowded tight end room got a little thinner on Tuesday evening when the team traded one of the unit’s many veterans.
Adam Shaheen, a six-year veteran Miami acquired from Chicago in 2020, was traded to the Houston Texans for a swap of late-round selections in the 2023 NFL draft.
Miami sent Shaheen and a 2023 seventh-round pick to Houston for a 2023 sixth-round selection, but the deal mainly unloads his $1.8 million salary and will lead to the elevation of Hunter Long, who the Dolphins selected in the third round of the 2021 draft.
Mike Gesicki and Durham Smythe share the tight end duties, with Gesicki primarily working as a pass catcher, and Smythe playing the more traditional tight end role. The tight ends have gotten off to a quiet start in camp, but that’s because they are being reprogrammed on how to play in Miami’s new West Coast offense.
Shaheen started 12 of the 26 games he played for the Dolphins the past two years and contributed 24 receptions for 260 yards and three touchdowns.
Long sparingly played last year but it seems like he’ll have an elevated role in Mike McDaniel’s offense. The Dolphins also have Cethan Carter, who is mostly used as a core special teams contributor, and Tanner Conner, a Idaho State standout who Miami signed as a undrafted rookie and is switching from receiver to tight end. Conner was one of the top performers during one of last week’s practices.
It is possible the Dolphins could unload a couple more players before the regular season begins.
General manager Chris Grier is typically aggressive during this time of year, and the Dolphins have two receivers in Preston Williams and Lynn Bowden Jr. who don’t seem to be good fits with this offense.
It’s possible the Dolphins could move one, or both of those receivers to a team in need of receiver help for a player Miami could use, or for a late-round selection.
