Miami Dolphins meet with under-the-radar player at NFL Combine who could be a weapon for Mike McDaniel
The Miami Dolphins got a big boost to their offense last year with the career year of veteran Jonnu Smith, who set Miami Dolphins single-season records for catches (88) and receiving yards (884) for a tight end. However, the rest of the tight end room underperformed and is in need of an upgrade. Previous TE1, […]
The Miami Dolphins got a big boost to their offense last year with the career year of veteran Jonnu Smith, who set Miami Dolphins single-season records for catches (88) and receiving yards (884) for a tight end.
However, the rest of the tight end room underperformed and is in need of an upgrade. Previous TE1, Durham Smythe, was a cap casualty, released earlier this month. Julian Hill has been one of the most penalized players in the league while offering little on the field in the way of production.
As such, tight end is something Miami should have on their wish list for the draft, and it appears they have someone in their sights at the NFL Combine this week. Clemson tight end Jake Briningstool said he had a formal meeting with the Dolphins this week.
"We had a really good meeting," Briningstool said. "Sat down and watched some film. Went through some of my tape, and then just got down to it, talked to them about my personal life, about my family, about how I was raised.
The tight end position wasn't one that had hardly any impact on the passing game in Mike McDaniel's first two seasons as the Dolphins' head coach. That obviously changed last year with the way Smith turned into a weapon in the screen game and as a target in the short and intermediate passing game.
Where Briningstool stands out is as a receiver. He was particularly productive over his final two years at Clemson, with 99 catches for 1028 yards and 12 touchdowns over that span. At 6'6", 230 pounds, he's almost more of a hybrid tight end/slot receiver than a traditional tight end. But he has the athleticism and wheels to become an effective player in the middle of the field, particularly down the seam.
What could work to the Dolphins' benefit is that this is a deep draft at the tight end position, so it's possible a player like Briningstool falls victim of a numbers game and ends up being available as a day three pick.
If the Dolphins liked what they saw and heard, it wouldn't be a surprise to hear his name called at some point when Miami is in the clock in Green Bay, host of the 2025 NFL Draft.