There hasn't been much for Miami Dolphins fans to hang their hat on in 2025, but not everything has been a disaster. Tua Tagovailoa's benching has finally opened up an opportunity to move into a new era of Dolphins football. Many of their young players have started to show signs of promise as well, most notably new starting quarterback Quinn Ewers.
Some positions that were expected to be a major issue have also become surprise strengths, maybe none more so than the tight end spot. The position seemed taken care of with the emergence of Jonnu Smith a year ago, but then he was shipped off to the Steelers in the Jalen Ramsey-Minkah Fitzpatrick trade.
To replace him, they turned to former Raiders and Giants tight end Darren Waller, sending a sixth-round pick in 2026 to New York for his services. Waller retired prior to the 2024 season, so it was hard to predict what they would be getting in the aging former star. They also made a quiet move by signing former Broncos' third-round pick Greg Dulcich to the practice squad.
Fast forward to today, and those two have formed a strong duo in 2025, and it would be wise to bring both of them back in 2026.
Greg Dulcich and Darren Waller have given Miami Dolphins a surprise strength at tight end
The Dolphins tight end duo has racked up 587 yards and seven touchdowns combined, despite only playing in nine games each. Even fellow tight ends Julian Hill and Tanner Connor have chipped in as well, with 223 yards.
That is 810 yards from a position group that had little to no expectations heading into the year, with potentially more coming in Week 18. Waller's age complicates things, but if he is on board, bringing back both him and Dulcich for 2026 (and maybe longer) on cheap deals would be a big win for Miami's front office.
Just like Ewers potentially providing a cost-effective option at QB, Miami will need to find cheap starters over the next few years thanks to Tua Tagovailoa's contract situation. Whether they cut, trade, or even keep him, his cap hit will make adding much in free agency this offseason difficult.
If even one of Waller or Dulcich can be brought back in 2026, that will make the tight end position one they can hold off putting a ton of resources into. That will free up the limited money they do have to attack other positions, like cornerback and the offensive line.
Neither are stars at this point, but they have shown enough to return as solid duo in 2026.