Hunter Long could get a shot on Sunday for the Miami Dolphins

Brian Flores hasn’t made it official yet but it appears that rookie tight end Hunter Long will be getting a shot to play on Sunday.

Long has been inactive most of this season and that has caused fans to criticize Chris Grier for what many believe to be a wasted 3rd round draft pick. Now, it appears that Long will be on the field but will he actually get playing time? That’s a good question and frankly, I wouldn’t put money on it.

The issue that is working in Long’s favor is that Adam Shaheen has not been practicing due to an injury. With Shaheen out, it opens the opportunity for Long to get some work in a game.

Miami will run with Mike Gesicki and Durham Smythe but Shaheen has stepped up and continues to develop as the Dolphins number two TE. Long, however, is believed to be the future, but the question is whose future will he replace?

Both Gesicki and Smythe are free agents after the season and Long could be the replacement for one of them. Miami could opt to keep both and move on from Shaheen or they could continue to run with a large TE group.

Miami currently has five TEs on the active roster including those named above and Cethan Carter. Carter hasn’t been involved much this year but the Dolphins gave him a one-year deal that will come out around $2.7 million in the end.

There will be a lot of questions after the season is over as it relates to this group but in a perfect world, Long, Gesicki, Shaheen, and Smythe would make a pretty good group of four and the Dolphins need to get Gesicki extended.