The Miami Dolphins’ new free agent signing is one of the greatest athletes in the history of the NFL Combine
Miami’s latest scratch-off ticket has a legendary mark on its resume already.
The Miami Dolphins have procured another scratch-off lottery ticket.
Miami signed a former top draft prospect at wide receiver earlier this week, landing former LSU Tigers wide receiver and top-60 draft choice Terrace Marshall Jr., via a futures contract. It’s the perfect kind of “no risk, high reward” signing that can help jumpstart the roster if the team manages to catch lightning in a bottle.
The futures contract is a minimum-salary deal, so his signing won’t even count against the salary cap (for now). The Dolphins have landed another flier signing, and this one is one of the greatest athletes in NFL Combine history.
Dolphins sign tight end Zack Kuntz to a futures contract
Kuntz, a product of Old Dominion in the 2023 NFL Draft, was once an NFL Draft darling thanks to a prolific workout at the 2023 NFL Combine. Miami’s tight end room is rather bare as we enter the final month before the offseason calendar opens up: the team has Jalin Conyers and Cole Turner under contract. That’s it. Kuntz brings a big-time pedigree and some explosive physical traits.
Once upon a time, he was a four-star recruit with offers from Alabama, LSU, Florida State, Ohio State, Oregon, Michigan, Notre Dame, and others. He enrolled initially at Penn State before transferring to Old Dominion, and then had his infamous Combine workout.
Kuntz posted the following measurements (and percentiles at the NFL Combine since 1999) in Indianapolis:
| Height | 6′ 6⅝” | 94th percentile |
| Weight | 255 lbs | 62nd percentile |
| Arm Length | 34″ | 85th percentile |
| Hand Size | 10¼” | 81st percentile |
| 10 Yard Split | 1.57 second | 87th percentile |
| 40 Yard Dash | 4.55 seconds | 92nd percentile |
| Vertical Jump | 40.00″ | 97th percentile |
| Broad Jump | 10′ 08″ | 96th percentile |
| 3-Cone Drill | 6.87 seconds | 91st percentile |
| 20 Yard Shuttle | 4.12 seconds | 94th percentile |
| Bench Press | 23 reps | 75th percentile |
As we have seen many times before, a great athletic profile doesn’t guarantee you anything in the NFL. It hasn’t with Kuntz, either, thus far. But it does provide a ceiling for the right role and the right opportunity. Just like with Marshall Jr. at wide receiver, Kuntz will enter into a competitive melee for roster spots and have a chance to let his natural gifts shine.
There’s no downside given his futures contract. And while there’s no guarantee that he makes anything of his trip in Miami after two years with the Jets (2023-2024), there’s always a chance the light bulb will come on late.
That’s up to Miami to find out.