Miami Dolphins training camp tight end predictions

With Mike Gesicki no longer a member of the Miami Dolphins, the tight end unit becomes wide-open but also on the verge of becoming a bigger strength.

Imagine having a unit on a football team that loses it's best player, adds little, and still may improve on paper? That is the 2023 Miami Dolphins tight end unit.

If you are asking why we can assume the position could and should be better than it was last year or even the year before, you only have to look at the makeup of the offensive system and how the new players fit into the rolls required.

Yes, Mike Gesicki was good. Yes, Gesicki was a phenomenal pass-catching TE but Gesicki was a liability in the Mike McDaniel offense because Mike McDaniel needed him to be an inline blocker more than a split pass catcher.

This year, the Dolphins won't have to worry about a one-dimensional TE, they are much more well-rounded.

Durham Smythe is the lock to make the Dolphins roster. He received a reworked contract this past off-season and is both capable of blocking and running routes. He is a better blocker but he isn't a slouch in the passing game.

While Smythe isn't really competing against anyone, the rest of the group might be. It is hard to say Eric Saubert is an absolute but he is as close to being a lock to make the 53 than any one else. He too is a well-rounded TE who might be a better pass-catcher than a blocker but it isn't a wide margin.

Beyond those two, Julian Hill, Elijaih Higgins, Tanner Conner, and Tyler Kroft will compete for what should be two more positions.

Higgins has an edge for one of those due to his draft status. That would leave Conner and Kroft as the two most likely competing for the final roster spot with Hill a big long shot to make the team.

Kroft has a lot more experience in the NFL. He has 9 seasons to Conner's two.

Predictions

• Durham Smythe

• Eric Saubert

• Eilijah Higgins

• Tyler Kroft

Tanner Conner - Practice squad.

I expect Conner to stick around on the practice squad and the Dolphins to keep four TEs. Mike McDaniel likes good blocking TEs that can also be used situationally and each of the four who I have making the roster add an element to his offensive system.