Miami Dolphins TE coach wants more Kittle it’s not about receptions
By Brian Miller
The Miami Dolphins have a tight end problem in the fact that they don’t have a tight end that can run the offense they want to run. No, Mike Gesicki hasn’t shown he can do it yet and the rest of the TEs are either injured or not pulling their weight. Jon Embree isn’t concerned about receptions.
Embree is a great TE coach, maybe the best the Dolphins have had in years. He is smart and knows what Mike McDaniel wants to do. What he doesn’t have are the TEs to do it.
Mike Gesicki has struggled so far this year and has been somewhat inconsistent as he tries to transition to more of a traditional tight end. It is the reason why he continues to have his name mentioned in trade speculation.
Talking with the media and asked about Gesicki’s stats so far this year, Embree made it clear that he wants more George Kittle and isn’t worried about statistics. It’s a mentality thing.
Fins TE coach Embree when asked about Gesicki having 71 receiving yards: "I got a text from George Kittle Tuesday morning at 3 a.m. and it was video of him against the Rams knocking a DB on his behind. That's what we want, that mentality here. It's not how many passes you catch."
— Barry Jackson (@flasportsbuzz) October 6, 2022
Through four games, Gesicki has been pretty much non-existent in the passing game but none of the TEs really have been featured. They are expected to block. Miami’s best blocking TE right now is Durham Smythe. Cethan Carter is probably a little better but he has been on the concussion protocol since week one. Hunter Long continues to look more and more like another wasted draft pick.
The Dolphins offense is supposed to be run-heavy but McDaniel has not seen the success he expects because the line is struggling and the blocking support from the TE is not consistent and that leaves broken runs being stuffed at the line or minimal gains. It has also left McDaniel going to the pass far more often than he probably wants.
I would suspect that this is an issue that will be changed next off-season should Gesicki and the other TEs not figure it out and get far more consistent from their play.
As much as we may want to see Gesicki put up better stats, Embree is right in his assessment. This offense needs the TEs to have a more physical mentality rather than a stat mentality. Mike Gesicki isn’t complaining. He has taken on his new role without a single public comment but he still needs to get better, if he can, Miami’s offense will get better and more potent and he just might find himself around for the future.