The Miami Dolphins finally ended their long-running saga with Jalen Ramsey on Monday, trading the veteran cornerback to the Pittsburgh Steelers for Minkah Firzpatrick. But that wasn’t the only move.
The Dolphins also dealt tight end Jonnu Smith to the Steelers, shipping off a player who had just come off a career-best season in Miami.
After that standout year, Smith and his agent approached the Dolphins seeking a new contract. It’s now clear that agreement was never going to happen. Instead, Aaron Rodgers gains a proven tight end — adding to what’s shaping up to be a formidable offensive arsenal in what many believe will be his final NFL season.
The trade leaves the Dolphins with another glaring hole on a roster already filled with questions entering 2025. Tua Tagovailoa is now without a reliable tight end, and head coach Mike McDaniel is short another playmaker in a critical season.
Shortly after the trade was made, NFL insider Tom Pelissero reported that the Dolphins were in conversations with multiple teams about trading for a tight end.
Outkick’s Armando Salguero believes Miami should look to fill that void by picking up the phone and calling the Atlanta Falcons.
“Multiple teams have called the Falcons to ask about the availability of TE Kyle Pitts. It would be wise for the Dolphins to join that group now if they haven’t already,” Salguero said.
Follow The Sporting News on WhatsApp
Earlier this month, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that teams have indeed been calling about Pitts — though he doesn’t believe Atlanta is actively looking to move him.
“I don’t think the Falcons are looking to deal him, but they’re not turning away the calls either,” Schefter said. “So if there were a team that was willing to give up enough to get him, I think they could be enticed into trading the former top-five overall selection to another team.”
Schefter noted that Pitts’ salary could complicate any potential deal.
“The issue there is he’s due $11 million in salary this year,” Schefter said. “And I don’t know that there are a whole lot of teams lining up to pay the Falcons what it would take — and to pay Kyle Pitts what it would take entering the last year of his contract.”
Pitts, selected No. 4 overall in the 2021 draft, has failed to live up to expectations thus far, with only 10 touchdowns and one 1,000-yard season in four years.
That said, Smith found new life in McDaniel’s system, posting career highs with 88 receptions, 884 yards, and eight touchdowns in 2024. If the Dolphins could pull off a trade for Pitts, perhaps he could experience a similar resurgence.
