The Miami Dolphins shocked the NFL world on Monday morning when they finally moved on from Jalen Ramsey in a trade with the Pittsburgh Steelers. The most surprising part of the deal was that they managed to acquire Minkah Fitzpatrick in return—an upgrade in the eyes of some analysts.
The Dolphins also parted ways with tight end Jonnu Smith, whose agent Drew Rosenhaus made it clear he wanted to stay in Miami early in June.
“Jonnu would definitely like to stay in Miami. That’s his first choice,” Rosenhaus said. “This is where he lives in the offseason. He had a record-breaking season last year… His dream team is the Dolphins.”
Trade talks between the Dolphins and Steelers regarding Smith had been ongoing since early June, and on the final day of the month, both sides reached an agreement. The downside for Miami is that they are now without a proven tight end, prompting the team to immediately begin exploring the market.
One team to watch is the Las Vegas Raiders, as the Dolphins have already contacted them about tight end Michael Mayer.
“One of those teams, according to Omar Kelly of the Miami Herald, is the Raiders as Miami has had its ‘eye on’ tight end Michael Mayer for a while,” wrote Pro Football Talk’s Charean Williams.
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Mayer currently sits behind Brock Bowers, who has quickly emerged as one of the top young tight ends in the league. The Dolphins are now searching for any player with potential at the position.
“The former No. 35 overall pick out of Notre Dame was once viewed as the tight end of the future in Vegas, but that dream was shattered when Brock Bowers showed up and had the best season of any rookie tight end in NFL history. Mayer is a talented player in his own right, but the stats haven’t shown it. In 25 games played, he’s caught 48 passes for 460 yards and just two touchdowns. It feels like Mayer needs a change of scenery with two years remaining on his rookie deal,” CBS Sports’ Jordan Dajani wrote.
The Dolphins appear to be in a tight spot at the position, and right now, Mayer seems to be their top target.
