The Miami Dolphins needed to clear cap space, and Durham Smythe was one of the first players they released. He now has a new home.
No one expected the former Dolphins tight end to be on the market long, but after being a free agent for just over a week, Smythe becomes the first former Miami player to land a new job. Any thought of him rejoining Miami on a lesser contract is over.
According to multiple reports on Thursday, the Chicago Bears will be adding the tight end on a one-year contract.
Smythe played his entire career with the Dolphins up to 2025. He was one of two tight ends drafted in the 2018 draft. Mike Gesicki was taken in round two, with Smythe taken in round four.
With the Chicago Bears, Durham Smythe will reunite with a former Miami Dolphins coach
In 2018, the Bears' new head coach, Ben Johnson, coached the wide receivers in Miami. Smythe, a rookie, would have had limited interactions with Johnson. In all, Johnson coached with the Dolphins for seven seasons.
The Dolphins will lose a few players when free agency begins next week. Jevon Holland will almost assuredly be off the market on the first day of legal tampering, Monday.
Smythe finished his Dolphins career with three touchdowns on 123 receptions. Primarily a blocker, Smythe will help Johnson improve the offensive line in Chicago. The Bears traded for top guard Joe Thuney a day after adding another guard that was released by the Chargers.
Dolphins fans can only watch as the Bears address the one positional unit they so badly want to see changed.
Free agency will begin on Wednesday, March 12th, but teams can begin talking with players' agents on Monday. The Dolphins will need to fill the hole they created when Smythe was released, but it is assumed they will look at adding a tight end in the draft rather than paying for one in free agency.