Back around draft time, Caleb Douglas captured a lot of headlines for the Miami Dolphins. For one, he was considered a 'reach' by many evaluators who placed him as a Day 3 prospect. It probably didn't help matters that he was joining a wide receiving corps that had been absolutely gutted over the offseason. This placed an unenviable target on his back, though to this point, he's been lighting it up in training camp.
In a lot of ways, Douglas shielded his fellow third-round pick, tight end Will Kacmarek, from more scrutiny. Kacmarek totaled 65 receptions over his five-year college career, which is only 11 more receptions than Douglas had just last season. It's true that tight end is a much different position with more to it than receiving ability. Still, it's a relatively small sample.
In any case, mention of Kacmarek's name had been scant through the first handful of training camp practices. That started to change this week as the former Ohio State Buckeye began to find his groove.
Will Kacmarek is starting to get noticed in training camp, a great sign for his rookie season with the Miami Dolphins
Travis Wingfield, the Dolphins' in-house media man, has done a masterful job keeping fans updated on the happenings from this year's training camp. On Tuesday, Kacmarek drew praise for his job in the run game, with Wingfield saying: "Will Kacmarek [with] another perfectly squared up block on a toss. He’s been as advertised in the run blocking portion of his game." It's a great sign that the skill he was best known for is translating.
In Friday's session, he continued to impress with his tenacity and grit in the blocking game, with Wingfield reporting: "Will Kacmarek with a punishing blitz pickup. What I loved about it was he didn’t sit back and wait — he went and got it." That was welcome news, too, but there was still that pesky receiving itch that had yet to be scratched.
A few minutes later, however, Kacmarek took advantage of starter Greg Dulcich's absence and got involved in the pass game. "Beautiful high red zone design that gets Will Kacmarek all alone in the corner for an easy TD pass from Willis. The defense’s attention went to Douglas crossing the field in the other direction." That's what we were waiting for, and frankly, the entire play description could prove a harbinger of things to come.
The Dolphins will have abundant opportunities on offense this year. There is no target-hog to keep the newcomers underutilized. The weight is almost entirely on this rookie class to do their jobs at a high enough level that Malik Willis can show what he's truly capable of in this crucial season. An emergence from Will Kacmarek would not only assist his new QB, but it would also give the Dolphins some stability they've been lacking at the position.
After Mike Gesicki departed following the 2022 season, Miami has gotten by with one-year answers. First it was longtime reserve Durham Smythe who drew the promotion in 2023. Then, Jonnu Smith took the reins in 2024, en route to a career year that led to a contract-raise request, a development that ultimately got him traded to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Last season, Miami coaxed Darren Waller out of retirement to man their tight end spot.
With Will Kacmarek, the Dolphins have a player who is vastly different from Gesicki, Smith, and Waller, as his bread and butter is considered his blocking skills. His college film indicates that his receiving chops are not too shabby, though, and that it was more a matter of environment than that he didn't catch more passes. Upon arriving at Ohio State, Kacmarek had to share targets with first-round picks Emeka Egbuka and Carnell Tate, as well as future superstar Jeremiah Smith.
Jeremiah Smith and Tate were still around last year to gobble up targets, as well as fellow tight end Max Klare, who wound up going in the second round of the draft to the Los Angeles Rams. In other words, it's not that Kacmarek can't catch the ball. It's that he's been surrounded by elite playmakers who rendered him a lesser option.
In Miami, the competition for targets is wide open. If Kacmarek continues to shine, he could wind up a major contributor when the world least expects it. It shouldn't surprise fans if Kacmarek is among the rookie leaders in receiving at tight end this season. It'll take some time for the rest of the football world to catch up — and that's just the way the Dolphins would want it.
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