Entering the 2022 season, the Miami Dolphins were undergoing a large shift in their building, as Mike McDaniel was taking over as head coach and bringing his offensive scheme with him.
In that system, tight ends are used a bit differently than they had been in the offenses during Brian Flores’ regime, which meant Mike Gesicki, a former first-round pick who was kept around on a franchise tag, probably wasn’t going to be the best fit.
With that knowledge, the Dolphins apparently tried to make some moves to add talent to the room. According to NFL agent Drew Rosenhaus on The Pat McAfee Show, Miami was involved in trade discussions to acquire tight end Darren Waller from the Las Vegas Raiders before he landed with the New York Giants.
"The Raiders were in negotiations last year to trade Darren Waller to the Packers and the Dolphins..
Once they shopped Darren he was always open to being moved and he's excited to join the Giants" ~ @DrewJRosenhaus #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/90cqlr8LAs
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) April 5, 2023
It’s not clear when these discussions were had, but Gesicki and Waller both had down years in 2022 and probably could’ve benefited from being in different situations.
Now, heading into 2023, Gesicki is with the New England Patriots, and the Dolphins are left with the recently extended Durham Smythe, Eric Saubert and Tanner Conner.
They could still make a move to acquire a veteran or draft a rookie at the end of the month, but everyone would probably feel better about the position if they were entering the year with Darren Waller on the roster.
