The Miami Dolphins have a big decision to make this offseason, as tight end Mike Gesicki was in the final year of his deal last season and will become a free agent.
The Miami Herald’s Barry Jackson laid out some players that the Dolphins could target to replace Gesicki at tight end if the team decides to let him walk this season.
Jackson mentioned Dalton Schultz, Zach Ertz, Evan Engram, David Njoku, Tyler Conklin, C.J. Uzomah, Gerald Everett, Maxx Williams, Jared Cook and Eric Ebron as potential targets.
That’s a lot of options, but Schultz may be the perfect one for McDaniel’s system, as Jackson highlights in his piece.
“PFF rates him sixth overall among all tight ends and 15th as a run blocker,” Jackson wrote. “Last season, he had 65 pass blocking snaps (compared with 11 for Gesicki) and 355 run blocking snaps (compared with 234 for Gesicki).
“So this is the type of complete tight end who would thrive in McDaniel’s system.”
The Dolphins are trying to find a tight end that will pair with Jaylen Waddle and DeVante Parker to bring the best out of Tua Tagovailoa in the 2022 season.
Schultz, Engram, Njoku, Everett or Uzomah would make the most sense for the Dolphins long term, as Ertz, Ebron and Cook are nearing the back end of their respective primes and wouldn’t fit as well with this young roster.
However, the Dolphins may find that Gesicki is their best option, as he is coming off a season where he made 73 catches for 780 yards and two scores last season.
The 26-year-old has been one of Tagovailoa’s favorite targets, but the Dolphins may view one of the tight ends listed above as an upgrade when they try to rebuild this offense.
Miami finished the 2021 season with a 9-8 record, but McDaniel is a fresh face who should bring some new innovations to the offense. There’s no doubt that the Dolphins need to either retain Gesicki or find a replacement from outside of the roster, but it will be up to McDaniel and the front office to find the perfect fit.
