Preseason football is a strange thing in the NFL in 2022.
Half of the teams are sitting their starters, while the other half are trying to get their guys opportunities at live reps before the regular season gets underway.
This past weekend, the Miami Dolphins played a majority of their starters for the first couple of drives against the Las Vegas Raiders, with the exception of a few that were out for preventative reasons and tight end Mike Gesicki.
Gesicki got his snaps with the starters, but he remained out there when Teddy Bridgewater and the rest of the backups entered the game.
The Penn State product finished the game with 25 offensive snaps, while most projected starters played 15 at most.
Gesicki has things to work on this preseason, as he’s essentially changing positions in this new system that head coach Mike McDaniel has brought with him to South Florida, and the tight end acknowledged as much after the game.
“I need it,” Gesicki said. “I need all the reps I can get. I mean, I played receiver last year, I’ve played receiver the past three or four years. I’m playing tight end now and any reps I can get live, out there blocking, putting my hands on another guy and going out there, working hard and blocking; honestly just working on my footwork and my hand placement, all that kind of stuff. Any reps I can get at that, I can use it.”
Gesicki has said all of the right things this offseason, whether it was about learning to play in-line tight end or being franchise tagged. That’s part of his personality and makeup that makes him a great teammate and player to have on the roster.
After the game, McDaniel also talked about Gesicki’s competitive drive that kept him in.
“He is a couple plays on the ball away from having a really good game that he feels really good about,” McDaniel said. “That’s one of the reasons why he stayed in the game, because he was frustrated. As a competitor, he knew he could make the plays that he didn’t. It’s nothing out of the ordinary or nothing far from exactly what he has been doing.
“He just needs to continue to be diligent and not get frustrated when the ball doesn’t bounce his way or they get paid, too; they hit him, he doesn’t make a play on the ball. We all appreciate the fact that he is a competitor, and he is not satisfied with touching the ball and not coming down with it. As long as he approaches it like the player that he is where he is very accountable, we’ll be fine, he will be fine, and we’ll all be better for it.”
Gesicki will continue working because that’s who he is. The Dolphins will just hope that he progresses with these reps and opportunities and doesn’t get discouraged when things don’t go perfectly.
