Miami authored a summer blockbuster with the Pittsburgh Steelers on Monday, dealing away cornerback Jalen Ramsey and tight end Jonnu Smith in exchange for three-time first-team All-Pro safety Minkah Fitzpatrick and a pick swap in the 2027 NFL draft.
As the shockwaves reverberate throughout South Beach, the Dolphins aren’t wasting any time shopping around for Smith’s replacement.
According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, Miami was in conversations with multiple teams about acquiring a tight end. The Miami Herald’s Omar Kelly identified Las Vegas Raiders tight end Michael Mayer as a likely target.
Kelly said that Miami has had its eye on Mayer for a while. Mayer was a second-round selection out of Notre Dame by the Raiders in the 2023 NFL draft.
The 6-foot-4, 265-pound tight end has caught 48 passes for 460 yards and two touchdowns across 25 games played and 20 starts. Mayer missed six games with the Raiders last season when he was placed on the non-football injury/illness list.
Another weapon like Mayer to pair with wide receivers Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle and running back De’Von Achane would be a welcome sight for Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa as he and the franchise look to bounce back from an 8-9 finish in 2024.
The move might make sense for the Raiders, too. Brock Bowers just authored arguably the greatest rookie campaign by a tight end in NFL history and that might lead Las Vegas brass to believe that Mayer is dispensable. Bowers finished the 2024 season with 112 receptions for 1,194 receiving yards and five scores.
Bowers’ 112 grabs are the most receptions by a rookie at any position in NFL history. Bowers’ 1,194 receiving yards were the most receiving yards by a rookie tight end in NFL history.
Other tight ends to keep an eye on that CBS tabbed as potential targets included Chicago Bears tight end Cole Kmet, Baltimore Ravens tight end Mark Andrews, Tennessee Titans tight end Chig Okonkwo and Los Angeles Rams tight end Tyler Higbee.
Kmet caught 47 passes for 474 yards and four scores a season ago and he inked a four-year, $50 million extension ahead of the 2023 season. Andrews has caught 436 passes for 5,530 yards and 51 touchdowns over his seven-year NFL career with the Ravens.
Okonkwo is entering the final year of his rookie contract after catching 52 passes for 479 yards and a pair of scores. Lastly, Higbee has more than 360 grabs for nearly 3,700 yards in his NFL career. Though a knee injury from the end of the 2023 season limited Higbee to just three regular season games in 2024, Higbee caught 12 passes for 112 yards and a score during the Rams’ two postseason contests last season.
At the moment, Miami currently has tight ends Pharaoh Brown, Tanner Conner, Julian Hill, Hayden Rucci and Jalin Conyers on the roster.
Brown, an eight-year NFL veteran, has caught 72 passes for 751 yards and three touchdowns during his career. Meanwhile, Hill has 18 career receptions for 148 yards, including 12 for 100 yards last season with the Dolphins. Conner caught three passes for 16 yards last season in Miami.
Rucci is yet to record an NFL catch and Conyers signed a three-year, $2.98 million deal this April with the Dolphins as an undrafted free agent.
