Dolphins’ long-time roster sore spot could finally flip into a major 2026 offseason point of emphasis thanks to evolving scheme and a uniquely deep talent pool

Pop quiz: When’s the last time the Dolphins really invested at the tight end position?

Kyle Crabbs — NFL National Writer
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The Miami Dolphins‘ have a five game season ahead of them. Mathematically, it means the team is still in the hunt for a long-shot playoff berth. They can afford one loss in the final five games and still secure a winning record. Three more wins would mean the team didn’t regress in the win column from 2024 despite the team’s youth movement. There are jobs on the line, too.

But as this season sprints towards the finish, many Dolphins fans have started to peek their eyes to the future and started to ask questions about what awaits the Dolphins on the other side of the end of the 2025 season. There will be many things to sort out but one good development for Miami is that one of the team’s long-standing sore spots appears to be well stocked for the 2026 offseason.

Dolphins should have a plethora of choices to bolster tight end room long-term

Nov 30, 2025; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Miami Dolphins tight end Greg Dulcich (85) runs after the catch as New Orleans Saints cornerback Quincy Riley (29) defends during the second half at Hard Rock Stadium. Rich Storry-Imagn Images

The Dolphins found success at tight end in 2024 courtesy of veteran signing Jonnu Smith. Smith made the Pro Bowl in Miami and was considered a bright spot for the team — but the tide quickly turned when Smith started seeking a contract adjustment. The Dolphins found one for him. In Pittsburgh. Miami pivoted to formerly retired tight end Darren Waller this summer, leaning on his strong relationship with offensive coordinator Frank Smith. And Waller, when he’s been on the field, has been good! He’s played in five games (technically four after an early injury against Cleveland) and has posted 12 receptions for 164 yards and four touchdowns. But Waller’s durability remains a question, he’s 33 years old, was retired last season and is on a one-year contract with the team.

Miami needs some long-term stability in the form of a receiving tight end. Perhaps late addition Greg Dulcich can provide some of that — he’s unquestionably been an upgrade over Tanner Conner, who started the season on the 53-man roster. But Dulcich is an expiring contract after 2026 that Miami will need to make a decision to renew.

Miami hasn’t had success drafting a tight end since double dipping at the position with Mike Gesicki and Durham Smythe back in 2018. They tried in 2021, investing a third-round draft choice in tight end Hunter Long, but Long has pin-balled around the league and has less receiving yards and touchdowns for his career (45 games) than Waller has this season for the Dolphins.

Recent Miami Dolphins draft selections at tight end

  • 2023 sixth-round: Elijah Higgins, Stanford
  • 2021 third-round: Hunter Long, Boston College
  • 2018 second-round: Mike Gesicki, Penn State
  • 2018 fourth-round: Durham Smythe, Notre Dame
  • 2016 seventh-round: Thomas Duarte, UCLA

They’ll have intriguing options in free agency and also in a deep tight end class in the draft. In free agency, Ravens tight end Isaiah Likely looked like a breakout star in 2024 but a foot fracture derailed his season and Baltimore just gave veteran Mark Andrews a new three-year extension. Likely feels like a likely (no pun intended) candidate to hit the open market as a result. There’s no shortage of older veterans who could flood the market. Names like David Njoku, Dallas Goedert, and Tyler Higbee headline expiring contracts. But Kyle Pitts and Likely could also shake loose.

It isn’t fair (or likely accurate) to assume that Miami will be big spenders in free agency and many of these names feel like tone-deaf, short-sighted, and ill-advised adds for a Dolphins team that needs to continue getting younger and pursuing cost-controlled talent. I wouldn’t advise the Dolphins to sign any of the aforementioned names, unless Likely came at the right price. He may not even be the most attractive option for the Dolphins from Baltimore’s list of expiring contracts, either. Charlie Kolar is another veteran on an expiring contract who could be an attractive fit for Miami with his blocking skills and length as a pass catcher.

But let’s assume this offseason is all about the draft. The 2026 NFL Draft class at tight end should intrigue Miami in a lot of different fronts. That includes Oregon Ducks freak athlete and first-round prospect Kenyon Sadiq. If you liked Tyler Warren last year, you’ll love Sadiq. But the draft cycle offers a number of other intriguing rookie prospects at the position. That includes Stanford’s Sam Roush, Houston’s Tanner Koziol, TCU’s DJ Rogers, Baylor’s Michael Trigg, and Cincinnati’s Joe Royer. All of those prospects have received invitations to the 2026 Reese’s Senior Bowl. Vanderbilt’s Eli Stowers, North Carolina State’s Justin Joly, and Ohio State’s Max Klare are other notable names to file away.

There’s no shortage of options for Miami, who has put together a room the past few years off of undrafted rookies, low-risk bets on veterans, and picking up players who have failed to make it through cuts for one reason or another.

When you consider Miami’s offensive evolution and their buy-in to a team that has utilized multiple tight ends at a much more frequent rate than we came to expect from a Mike McDaniel football team, the desire for more assets and resources being put into the position this offseason only makes more sense if McDaniel is back in the fray for 2026. If Miami keeps winning, that feels more and more likely. And if it comes to be reality, it should be time for Miami to go shopping at tight end one way or another to add to their ranks.

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