Head coach Mike McDaniel said this week at the owners meetings that he's "excited about where the tight end room is going" for the Miami Dolphins, but it's clear they're not done looking to add to it.
Case in point was their pursuit of unrestricted free agent Irv Smith Jr., which unfortunately for the Dolphins didn't come to fruition because he has decided to join the Cincinnati Bengals.
But they did come close according to Smith, who told Bengals.com he ended up choosing the Bengals over the Dolphins.
"I felt like Cincinnati had the best chance to win a Super Bowl," Smith told the team website. "It's a great organization. Great coaching staff. (Head coach) Zac Taylor was very adamant about me coming to the team knowing what I can do to help the offense. And the proof is in the pudding at the tight end position. Having a relationship with Ja'Marr (Chase), getting to play with Joe Burrow and those guys speaks for itself. I've watched a lot of Bengals games over the years. I wanted to be a part of this opportunity to chase a ring and be a part of something special … I feel like I'm almost the missing piece to get us that Super Bowl."
Smith, a 2019 second-round pick who spent the past four seasons with the Minnesota Vikings, bypassed a chance to be reunited with college teammates Tua Tagovailoa and Jaylen Waddle.
It's difficult to argue against any player wanting to join the Bengals considering they played in the Super Bowl two seasons ago and reached the AFC Championship Game last year.
And based on 2022 statistics, it also might be more appealing for a tight end to play for Cincinnati than Miami, which didn't feature the position very much last year despite having a talented pass catcher with Mike Gesicki.
As proof, Dolphins tight ends were targeted 75 times last season, with Gesicki leading the way with 52 targets in 17 games (an average of 3.1 times per game). Bengals tight ends were targeted 92 times, with Hayden Hurst getting 68 targets in 13 games (an average of 5.2 times per game).
Smith, who averaged 30 catches in three seasons with the Vikings (injuries kept him out in 2021), said he was encouraged by his father — seven-year NFL tight end Irv Smith — that Cincinnati was the better choice for him.
"When it came down to picking a team he was all Cincinnati," Smith Jr. told Bengals.com. "Just in terms of what we can do with my skill set in that offense that is already so explosive with the weapons and Coach Callahan (offensive coordinator Brian Callahan) and Zac Taylor and what they've done, the proof is in the pudding."
THE DOLPHINS TIGHT END SITUATION AND WHAT OTHER FREE AGENT COULD BE OF INTEREST
The Dolphins already have signed one tight end in free agency this offseason, adding Eric Saubert from the Denver Broncos, but they're still light at the position in terms of numbers and lack a true No. 1 player there.
Along with Saubert, the Dolphins have six-year NFL veteran Durham Smythe and second-year player Tanner Conner, who joined the team as a rookie free agent last year after playing wide receiver at Idaho State.
The Dolphins wound up low on tight ends after they included 2021 third-round pick Hunter Long in the trade that brought Jalen Ramsey from the L.A. Rams, released Cethan Carter, saw Gesicki leave for New England as a free agent, and indicated no inclination to re-sign UFA Adam Shaheen, who they had agreed to the trade to the Houston Texans last summer before a physical revealed he had a torn ACL and he ended up spending the whole 2022 season on IR.
The NFL tight end market is pretty depleted two weeks into free agency, with Darren Waller (trade), Jonnu Smith (trade), Dalton Schultz, Austin Hooper, Robert Tonyan, O.J. Howard and Hurst already having changed teams.
The biggest names still available would include Marcedes Lewis, Kyle Rudolph and Cameron Brate, but all of them are — forgive the analogy — in the fourth quarter of their career.
The other option is the 2023 draft, which features one of the best and deepest tight end classes in recent memory and could offer an interesting prospect for the Dolphins in the second or third round.
But, to be sure, Smith would have been an intriguing addition to the Dolphins offense. As they say, though, you can't always get what you want.
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