A somewhat overlooked element in the Steelers-Dolphins trade yesterday, 2nd-only to What are the Steelers doing, is What are the Dolphins doing? They don't currently have a viable tight end. Considering Miami players at the position caught 112 passes a year ago, that seems like a problem.
I will quickly dismiss two undrafted guys, Jalin Conyers (a rookie out of Texas Tech) and Hayden Rucci (a second-year guy who bounced on and off the practice squad last year). Very unlikely they're factors. The veterans, meanwhile, I think we can say with some degree of certainty will not be viable starters. Pharaoh Brown, Julian Hill and Tanner Conner have collectively caught 93 passes and 3 TDs in 142 NFL games. Brown accounts for most of those catches and all 3 TDs, understandable because he's 31 years old. He's playing for his sixth team.
Miami will definitely be adding a veteran tight end. The first name that was circulated was Michael Mayer of the Raiders. That would be intriguing, and the Dolphins are reportedly interested, but the Raiders say (for now) that they have no intention of trading him. Maybe that changes, but at the moment, that's where we're at. So let's exclude Mayer from the possible Miami starters.
For the sake of discussion, I took a look at potential options who could step into a Jonnu-like role in the offense. I looked at tight ends who finished in the top 30 in PPR leagues a year ago. Table shows their stats from last year and PPR ranking.
| TOP 30 TES MIAMI COULD PURSUE | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Tgt | No | Rec | TD | Rk |
| Mark Andrews, Balt. | 69 | 55 | 673 | 11 | 6 |
| David Njoku, Cle. | 97 | 64 | 505 | 5 | 11 |
| Kyle Pitts, Atl. | 74 | 47 | 602 | 4 | 15 |
| Cole Kmet, Chi. | 55 | 47 | 474 | 4 | 19 |
| Austin Hooper, N.E. | 59 | 45 | 476 | 3 | 23 |
| Noah Fant, Sea. | 64 | 48 | 500 | 1 | 27 |
| Dallas Goedert, Phil. | 52 | 42 | 496 | 2 | 28 |
Andrews: The Ravens have supposedly been shopping Andrews quietly for a little while. They've talked up Isaiah Likely, quite reasonably, with John Harbaugh saying he wants Likely to be an All-Pro. Likely would zip into the fantasy stratosphere if Andrews were actually dealt. Andrews turns 30 in September and is in the final year of his deal. It's not really clear whether the Dolphins are dreaming of contending this year or quietly rebuilding, but this is a deal that's fun to think about. Andrews in Miami would make both him and Likely possible top-5 TEs.
Njoku: To be clear, I've not seen any reports of Njoku being shopped. But he's in a contract year, he played his college ball at Miami, and the Browns are going to be godawful this season. Cleveland should be looking to trade him and the Dolphins should be interested.
Pitts: There is no reason for this deal not to be considered. Pitts needs a fresh start. Atlanta has other options at the position, and signed San Francisco's Charlie Woerner in the offseason. Pitts has been mentioned in trade rumors, including to Pittsburgh. (I'd say that won't happen now, but never underestimate Arthur Smith's desire to acquire a functional tight end who once played for him.) Pitts to Miami would get him in the discussion of being drafted as a starter in fantasy leagues, and at least we don't have evidence of him being a huge disappointment with any team other than the Falcons.
Kmet: I was actually stunned to see just how much Kmet is making. Two years ago he signed a 4-year, $50 million contract with the Bears, and has a base salary this year of almost $10 million. That's a lot of money for a tight end on a team that just drafted a player at the position 10th overall. Kmet in Miami could be a top-10 player at the position. In Chicago, he's wasted, and crowded out of the target picture. Make this deal happen, Chicago and Miami. Please.
Hooper: New England's 2nd tight end is 30 years old. The Patriots don't really need him, and should be looking to get a draft pick. Divisional trades don't always happen, but this could be a modest option for Miami. With the Dolphins, he could return to fantasy relevance. Surprisingly, since they've played for three of the same teams (Falcons, Patriots, Titans) Hooper and Jonnu have never been teammates, but are similar kinds of players.
Fant: In a contract year. Seattle has other options, including 50th overall pick Elijah Arroyo. This is just me spitballing, of course, but the Seahawks could easily make this deal. And it would make Arroyo an intriguing best-ball choice.
Goedert: As recently as a couple of months ago, Goedert was expected to be traded by the Super Bowl champs. He signed a new, one-year deal in May, and maybe that will prevent him from being traded. They don't really have a viable alternative. Worth mentioning, but it seems like it won't happen.
But one of these guys? Maybe. Andrews, Pitts or Kmet would certainly be appealing.
--Andy Richardson