Miami Dolphins: Mike Gesicki getting the franchise tag instead of Ogbah?
By Juan Vasquez
Miami Dolphins TE Mike Gesicki has become the favorite to get the franchise tag instead of DE Emmanuel Ogbah, as reported by Daniel Oyefusi from the Miami Herald.
ESPN is said to have reported Gesicki as the “prime candidate” for the franchise tag, and when we break down the numbers it really makes sense.
Emmanuel Ogbah Franchise tag:
Emmanuel Ogbah had a career year with the Miami Dolphins, leading the entire league in batted passes according to NFL.com. He was also one of the most dominant defensive players on the team and in the NFL.
The 28-year old DE was seen as the favorite to be franchise tagged instead of Mike Gesicki due to his impact on the defense, and the possibility of Gesicki not fitting in McDaniel’s offense.
Ogbah by the numbers:
- 9 Sacks
- 9 Tackles for loss
- 1 Forced Fumble
- 12 Batted Passes
- 41 Tackles
However, the franchise tag for DE’s is predicted to be priced in around $20.8 Million dollars according to overthecap.com. The Miami Dolphins have over $60 Million dollars in cap space, but that tag would surely take a big hit on it before free agency even starts.
Offering Ogbah a long-term deal won’t be an option since he will likely break the bank testing free agency.
Mike Gesicki Franchise tag:
Mike Gesicki also had a career year with the Miami Dolphins, the 26-year old TE recorded a career high 780 yards, career high 112 targets, and career high 73 receptions. However the noise in the media, online, and even rumblings within the building pointed to Gesicki not being a correct fit for the 2022 Miami Dolphins.
McDaniel’s offense is a power offense with run first mentality, every player on the field has to be able to block.
Blocking has always been Gesicki’s biggest weakness, so much so that the previous Dolphins offenses were almost pre-set to pass with Gesicki on the field, and pre-set to run when he wasn’t. That would make him a big liability in the McDaniel’s offense.
But can he improve his game? Going into year 5 of his career I doubt he can get significantly better at blocking, but don’t forget Gesicki has alien like catching ability and has become one of Tua Tagovailoa’s favorite weapons.
On top of that the franchise tag for TE’s is predicted to be priced in around $10.8 Million dollars according to overthecap.com, making him a much cheaper option to keep. Also Mike Gesicki is only 26-years old, if he has a breakout season in 2022 he could be extended to become a long-term asset in Miami for a while before turning 30.
What this means moving forward:
This news is definitely unexpected but looking more into it makes sense, nothing is set in stone yet but by the looks of it the Miami Dolphins will be making a big push to keep Mike Gesicki in the 305.
This year’s draft is packed with DE talent and LB talent, so Ogbah’s loss could be huge but definitely not guaranteed to set us back dramatically. I’ll be posting more content on prospects Miami could target if Gesicki does get tagged instead of Ogbah, make sure to follow me on twitter @3rdnJuan to not miss it.
