The Jacksonville Jaguars secured Evan Engram’s return by using the franchise tag on their 28-year-old tight end, but the team is still set to have a thin depth chart at the position with both Chris Manhertz and Dan Arnold set to become free agents next week.
While many have suggested the Jaguars take a tight end early in the 2023 NFL Draft, Aaron Schatz of Football Outsiders has a different idea.
In a post for ESPN, Schatz wrote about the player that would be the “best match” for each team in free agency, and he highlighted the Miami Dolphins’ Mike Gesicki as an ideal target for the Jaguars.
Evan Engram will be back on the franchise tag, but the Jaguars could put together a dangerous and flexible two-tight-end set featuring two strong receiving options in Engram and Gesicki. Gesicki isn’t much of a blocker, which is why he didn’t fit what Mike McDaniel wanted to do in Miami, but Doug Pederson did plenty of good things with two-tight-end sets when he was in Philadelphia. With more usage than he got in Miami last year, Gesicki can easily bounce back to his 2020 and 2021 levels, when he had over 700 receiving yards each season.
Also notable in the article from Schatz is that Jaguars right tackle Jawaan Taylor is listed as the perfect free agent for the Chicago Bears.
Gesicki, 27, was a second-round pick in 2018 and recorded 2,255 yards and 13 touchdowns in his first four seasons with the Dolphins. In the 2022 offseason, Miami surprised many by using the franchise tag to keep Gesicki.
Despite committing $10.9 million to retain Gesicki, the Dolphins didn’t use the tight end much during a breakout season for the Miami offense in 2022. Gesicki finished the year with 32 receptions for 362 yards and five touchdowns.
During Doug Pederson’s time as head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles, the team drafted Dallas Goedert in the second round of the 2018 NFL Draft, despite already having Zach Ertz — a Pro Bowler in 2017, 2018, and 2019 — on the roster.
