Tight end Mike Gesicki’s production over his first four seasons led the Dolphins to use the franchise tag on him this offseason, but Gesicki hasn’t picked off where he left off this season.
Gesicki has been targeted 10 times through four games and he’s caught eight passes for 71 yards while playing fewer snaps than Durham Smythe. That’s a sharp decline for a player who caught 73 passes last season and had more than 50 catches in each of the two previous years.
On Thursday, tight ends coach Jon Embree noted that Smythe is more of a power blocker who fits what the Dolphins are looking for in their run game. Embree also said that the team isn’t disappointed in Gesicki’s contributions to the offense.
“I feel like we’re getting what we need out of him,” Embree said, via Hal Habib of the Palm Beach Post.
The Dolphins downplayed reports that they were considering trading Gesicki before the start of the regular season because his blocking wasn’t what they prize at the position. It’s not clear if any teams have checked in on Gesicki recently, but his role in the Dolphins offense might lead to some calls ahead of the deadline if teams think they can get more out of Gesicki over the rest of the season.