The Miami Dolphins made the decision to franchise tag tight end Mike Gesicki this offseason, keeping him under contract for one year with a guaranteed $10.93 million salary.
With a new head coach in Mike McDaniel bringing a new system to South Florida, Gesicki was going to have to learn to play more in-line tight end than he has in his career to this point. Obviously, they weren’t going to turn him into George Kittle, but there was some optimism that he would be able to become serviceable. However, it sounds like Miami may be souring on the idea of the Penn State product playing in aqua and orange this season and beyond.
According to Pro Football Focus’ Doug Kyed, the Dolphins have “brought up Gesicki’s name to other teams” in trade discussions.
Through two preseason games, Gesicki has played 34 snaps, and while he’s provided some decent plays in the receiving game, he hasn’t shown much as a blocker.
In the game against the Las Vegas Raiders, he was responsible for the pressure that resulted in Teddy Bridgewater’s safety, even though McDaniel put the blame on the play call.
Gesicki can still be an extremely valuable weapon for Miami or a number of other teams, so there’s a chance the Dolphins could get a decent return for the player at this point if they were to move on.
Moving Gesicki would leave the Dolphins with Durham Smythe, Hunter Long, Cethan Carter and Tanner Conner on the roster, and while Smythe has progressed in his time in Miami, he’s not at the level of a team’s top tight end at this point.
