If a team wants to trade for a pass-catching tight end, now might be a good time to make a move. The deadline for signing franchise players to contracts longer than one year is Friday, and there’s been no apparent movement between the Dolphins and Mike Gesicki.
I’m not sure that Gesicki factors into Miami’s plans all that much. He’s really more of a big wide receiver rather than a conventional tight end, and the Dolphins are well stocked with wide receivers. They’ve got Jaylen Waddle coming back, they swung the big trade for Tyreek Hill, and they also signed Cedrick Wilson (who had a solid year for the Cowboys last year).
With Mike McDaniel looking to juice up the running game, it wouldn’t surprise me if their other tight end, Durham Smythe, plays more than Gesicki. Smythe is a much better blocker – more of a conventional tight end. And while he Smythe isn’t as good as a pass catcher, he’s serviceable; he caught 34 of the 41 passes thrown his way last year – his 83 percent catch rate was No. 1 among tight end with at least 40 targets.
So while I haven’t seen any published reports suggesting any teams have been looking to trade for Gesicki, I would think the Dolphins would listen if an offer was made. I don’t think he’ll be a big part of Miami’s plans.
The Dolphins placed the franchise tag on Gesicki back in March. That was before they added Wilson and Hill. Gesicki wisely signed that tender before the team could change its mind, guaranteeing him $10.9 million this season. So reasonable to wonder if Miami would entertain a modest trade offer for him.
Gesicki has unusually good hands, so it’s possible some other team would be interested in adding him. He’s a better pass catcher than most at their position.
Over the past three years, 25 tight ends have seen at least 100 catchable balls sent their way. Gesicki has the best drop rate of all of those guys (only 5, versus 177 receptions).
| TIGHT END DROPS (last 3 yrs) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | No | Rec | Drop | Pct |
| Mike Gesicki | 182 | 177 | 5 | 2.7% |
| Hayden Hurst | 116 | 112 | 4 | 3.4% |
| Hunter Henry | 171 | 165 | 6 | 3.5% |
| Jimmy Graham | 106 | 102 | 4 | 3.8% |
| George Kittle | 213 | 204 | 9 | 4.2% |
| Tyler Higbee | 182 | 174 | 8 | 4.4% |
| Darren Waller | 266 | 252 | 14 | 5.3% |
| Dalton Schultz | 150 | 142 | 8 | 5.3% |
| Austin Hooper | 168 | 159 | 9 | 5.4% |
| T.J. Hockenson | 170 | 160 | 10 | 5.9% |
| Mark Andrews | 244 | 229 | 15 | 6.1% |
| Logan Thomas | 113 | 106 | 7 | 6.2% |
| Travis Kelce | 314 | 294 | 20 | 6.4% |
| Dallas Goedert | 171 | 160 | 11 | 6.4% |
| Rob Gronkowski | 107 | 100 | 7 | 6.5% |
| Noah Fant | 182 | 170 | 12 | 6.6% |
| Jack Doyle | 102 | 95 | 7 | 6.9% |
| Gerald Everett | 136 | 126 | 10 | 7.4% |
| Zach Ertz | 214 | 198 | 16 | 7.5% |
| Jonnu Smith | 113 | 104 | 9 | 8.0% |
| Jared Cook | 140 | 128 | 12 | 8.6% |
| Jordan Akins | 107 | 97 | 10 | 9.3% |
| Evan Engram | 173 | 153 | 20 | 11.6% |
| Eric Ebron | 112 | 99 | 13 | 11.6% |
| Dawson Knox | 119 | 101 | 18 | 15.1% |
Unlikely that Gesicki goes anywhere, but he’ll look more firmly entrenched with the Dolphins at the end of the day on Friday. (Not a tight end I’m interested in, given that situation).
Another tight end also has the Friday deadline to sign something beyond the one-year franchise tag: Dalton Schultz of the Cowboys. But that’s a different situation: Schultz isn’t going anywhere, whether he’s playing on a one-year deal or something longer. Schultz and Dallas have been talking, and there’s a much stronger likelihood of some kind of deal.
—Ian Allan