Phin Phanatic
FanSided

Miami Dolphins may have found a gem in tight-end Nick O’Leary

By Brian Miller

CINCINNATI, OH - OCTOBER 7: Ryan Tannehill #17 of the Miami Dolphins calls a play at the line of scrimmage during the first quarter of the game agains the Cincinnati Bengals at Paul Brown Stadium on October 7, 2018 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Bobby Ellis/Getty Images)
CINCINNATI, OH - OCTOBER 7: Ryan Tannehill #17 of the Miami Dolphins calls a play at the line of scrimmage during the first quarter of the game agains the Cincinnati Bengals at Paul Brown Stadium on October 7, 2018 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Bobby Ellis/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit

The Miami Dolphins have pinned a lot of home on Mike Gesicki but it was street free agent Nick O’Leary who made the bigger impact.

Through six games Miami Dolphins fans want to know what is going on with rookie Mike Gesicki. He was outplayed by Nick O’Leary on Sunday and the Dolphins may have found their go-to tight-end.

On September 18th the Miami Dolphins signed tight-end Nick O’Leary to their practice squad. A.J. Derby was banged up and the Dolphins had already lost MarQueis Gray for the season. Rookies Mike Gesicki and Durham Smythe are still working towards an understanding of the NFL defenses and offensive systems. On October 6th the Dolphins promoted O’Leary to the 53 man roster.

It paid off on Sunday.

O’Leary has three NFL seasons under his belt all with the Buffalo Bills prior to yesterday’s game. Through his career with the Bills the former 6th round draft pick played in 35 games starting 12. He posted 32 receptions on 49 targets and had two touchdowns. His third came on Sunday.

The grandson of PGA legend Jack Nicklaus paid dividends on Sunday catching all four of his targets for 49 yards and one touchdown. His blocking assists were near perfect as well. O’Leary shined and in doing so brought more attention to the Dolphins 2nd round draft pick who has yet to make an impact through six weeks of football.

Mike Gesicki will be fine or at least he should be. His struggles are not uncommon for a tight-end entering the NFL. Almost all tight-ends struggle in the first year and sometimes two of their career at this level. The wait for the proverbial lightbulb to come on can sometimes seem like forever. O’Leary could make that wait less daunting.

There is no guarantee that O’Leary will become a top tight-end in the league but if he can continue to improve and continue to have games like he did on Sunday, the Dolphins could have a tremendous one-two punch at the position with O’Leary and Gesicki.

More from Phin Phanatic

Tight-end is an important component of the Adam Gase offense. He tried unsuccessfully last season to use Julius Thomas who simply lost anything he had left in his career. This year that player was supposed to be Gray but he ended up on the IR missing the entire season. The Dolphins were forced to go with A.J. Derby who has a lot of potential and the two rookies.

Derby’s injury forced the Dolphins to make a move for another TE. A TE that would not likely have ended up in Miami if Derby had remained healthy. Now, O’Leary may be the one who eventually puts Derby on the unemployment line after the season.

It’s early and there is a lot of football to go but on Sunday the game wasn’t too big for the fourth year tight-end and the Dolphins were able to watch him gain seperation and make the plays when they needed to be made. It’s a good problem to have and maybe, just maybe, O’Leary can keep things moving while Gesicki continues to develop. Miami may be in a really good spot with their tight-end group if everyone continues to trend in the right direction.

Home/Dolphins News