Tag: Tyler Kroft

Grading the Dolphins tight ends after their 2023 season

A look at Miami’s tight ends, and the year they had in 2023.

The Miami Dolphins finished their 2023 campaign with an 11-6 record and made the postseason for the second time in as many years under head coach Mike McDaniel. Unfortunately, it came to an end with a loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in the wild-card round.

While other teams are in the midst of their playoff run, it’s time to do some reflecting on the team in South Florida.

Over the next couple of weeks, we’ll be reviewing and evaluating different positions for the Dolphins in 2023. Today, we’ll look at the tight ends.

Dolphins had at least two players attend TE University summit

Nice to see these guys working on their craft.

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With NFL teams off until late July, players are expected to keep in shape and come prepared for training camp before preseason games start.

One event that gets held over the dead period, is the Tight End University summit that’s put on annually by former NFL tight end Greg Olsen, Travis Kelce and George Kittle.

In the Miami Dolphins Durham Smythe and Mike Gesicki had been in attendance, but this year, they had two new players among the participants – Tyler Kroft and Eric Saubert.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CtmlMSuJBmJ/

This summit, held from June 20-22 in Nashville, Tennesseee, allows tight ends to learn some of the tips and tricks that the very best use/used during their career. This year, former New England Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers tight end Rob Gronkowski joined the coaching staff, and there might not be anyone better to learn from.

It’s unclear if the Dolphins had any other tight ends participating, but it’s great to see Kroft and Saubert putting in that extra work to make sure they’re at their best for the 2023 season.

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Dolphins have no tight ends in PFF’s top-15 rankings for 2023

It’s not surprising, but some of the names that did make it are.

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With the NFL regular season still months away, all 32 teams, including the Miami Dolphins, are in the midst of their offseason training programs with organized team activities going on this week.

As players are trying to earn opportunities when the season does eventually arrive, outlets are comparing them to their counterparts and trying to determine who’s better.

Pro Football Focus’ John Kosko recently produced his list of the top 15 tight ends in the NFL, and the Dolphins didn’t have any representation.

Here was his list:

  • Travis Kelce
  • Mark Andrews
  • George Kittle
  • Dallas Goedert
  • T.J. Hockenson
  • Pat Freiermuth
  • Kyle Pitts
  • Dalton Schultz
  • Taysom Hill
  • David Njoku
  • Darren Waller
  • Dawson Knox
  • Chigoziem Okonkwo
  • Evan Engram
  • Gerald Everett

It’s not surprising that Miami didn’t have a tight end on the list, as it’s one of the weaker positions on their roster currently. Durham Smythe tops the depth chart, and while he technically led the team’s tight end room in snaps last season, it was pretty obvious that Mike Gesicki was the top guy.

This offseason, Gesicki (interestingly left off the list) moved on, signing with the New England Patriots. The Dolphins also traded Hunter Long to the Los Angeles Rams, cut Cethan Carter and decided not to re-sign Adam Shaheen.

Instead, joining Smythe and 2022 undrafted free agent Tanner Conner in the room are two veterans (Eric Saubert and Tyler Kroft) and two rookies (Elijah Higgin and Julian Hill).

If any of them were to rise up and make this list next year, it would probably be Smythe, and that’s not out of the question considering Taysom Hill’s appearance so high on this list.

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4 things to know about new Dolphins TE Tyler Kroft

Get familiar with the former Rutgers tight end.

Last week, the Miami Dolphins addressed one of their biggest roster needs, signing former Cincinnati Bengals tight end Tyler Kroft to a one-year deal.

Prior to the transaction, Miami had five tight ends on the roster – Durham Smythe, Eric Saubert, Tanner Conner, Elijah Higgins and Julian Hill. However, only Smythe and Saubert have legitimate experience playing the position at the NFL level.

Kroft can at least bring experience to a group that’s sorely missing it.

Before he steps on the field at Hard Rock Stadium, it’s a good time for fans to get to know their newest tight end.

Breaking down the terms of new Dolphins TE Tyler Kroft’s contract

There’s very little guaranteed money.

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With the Miami Dolphins still having a hole at tight end after the conclusion of the 2023 NFL draft, they decided to sign eight-year veteran Tyler Kroft, who spent the 2022 season with the San Francisco 49ers.

According to Over the Cap, Kroft and the Dolphins agreed to a one-year contract worth $1.29 million. He’s set to earn $1.165 million in a base salary with $25,000 coming in a signing bonus and another $100,000 in a roster bonus. His cap hit for the 2023 season is set at $1.065 million.

With this information, Kroft isn’t a lock for the roster due to money alone. If Miami were to move on from him prior to the start of the regular season, they’d incur just $25,000 in a dead-cap hit while saving $1.04 million.

However, the Dolphins need real help at the position, as Durham Smythe is expected to be the starter, and behind him, there’s not much else. They have Eric Saubert, another tight end they signed this offseason, and two wide receivers being converted to tight ends in Tanner Conner and Elijah Higgins.

Kroft’s familiarity with the Kyle Shanahan system should help him assimilate quickly in the offense, giving him a leg up on some of the others in the room.

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Best photos of new Dolphins TE Tyler Kroft

See him in a few different jerseys.

After the 2023 NFL draft was completed, the Miami Dolphins still had a need for a veteran tight end who could fill a role in Mike McDaniel’s offense, so they signed Tyler Kroft.

Kroft hasn’t been very productive as a pass-catcher in the NFL, but he’s been a solid blocker and could really carve out a role for himself in the Dolphins’ scheme.

However, before he steps on the field in aqua and orange, let’s look back at some of the best photos from his career elsewhere.

Instant analysis of Dolphins signing TE Tyler Kroft

He was highly graded as a blocker last season.

After going through the early parts of free agency and all seven rounds of the NFL draft, the Miami Dolphins did little to address their clear need for a top tight end.

They signed veteran Eric Saubert, drafted Elijah Higgins and signed undrafted free agent Julian Hill, but this still left Durham Smythe as the top option with the three newcomers, and 2022 undrafted free agent Tanner Conner, filling out the rest of the depth chart.

On Tuesday, Miami found another veteran tight end to bring in, agreeing to a one-year deal with Tyler Kroft.

Kroft, in his eight-year career that’s been spent with four different franchises, has recorded just 105 receptions for 1,081 yards and 13 touchdowns. Those numbers don’t exactly blow anyone away.

However, the 30-year-old spent 2022 with the San Francisco 49ers, so he should be generally familiar with the Dolphins’ offensive scheme, as head coach Mike McDaniel brings many of the same concepts as his teacher, Kyle Shanahan.

Where Kroft has excelled is as an in-line blocker. Last season, he was a run-blocker on 165 of his 238 snaps. If he had qualified for Pro Football Focus’ league leaders, his 71.2 run-block grade would’ve ranked third among all tight ends behind only the Baltimore Ravens’ Isaiah Likely and the Minnesota Vikings’ Josh Oliver.

Blocking is so important in McDaniel’s offense, and it was a big reason why Mike Gesicki didn’t really fit the mold last year and was allowed to leave in free agency this offseason.

Kroft may not be the sexiest pickup, but he could certainly fill a role in Miami in 2023.

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Dolphins sign former Bengals TE Tyler Kroft

He could definitely help fill the hole.

The Miami Dolphins, despite going through the first waves of free agency and the NFL draft, still had a clear need at tight end.

On Tuesday, NFL agent Mike McCartney announced that his client Tyler Kroft agreed to a one-year deal with Miami.

Kroft was originally a third-round pick of the Cincinnati Bengals in the 2015 NFL draft. He spent four seasons as a Bengal before joining the Buffalo Bills for 2019-20, the New York Jets for 2021 and the San Francisco 49ers for 2022.

In his eight-year career, Kroft has recorded 105 receptions for 1,081 yards and 13 touchdowns. His addition could help fill a hole on Miami’s depth chart, as he’ll compete for opportunities with Durham Smythe, Eric Saubert, Tanner Conner, seventh-round pick Elijah Higgins and UDFA Julian Hill.

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5 free-agent TEs the Colts could consider in 2023

Here’s a look at five free-agent TEs the Colts could consider.

The Indianapolis Colts will enter free agency next week looking to add some depth to positions across the roster.

While there are far more pressing needs than the tight end position, it wouldn’t be a surprise if the Colts wanted to add some depth in the form of a blocking tight end.

With Mo Alie-Cox, Jelani Woods, Kylen Granson and Alec Ogletree making up the room, the tight end position for the Colts is solid. But they’ve missed that blocking tight end in the run game since Jack Doyle retired.

Here’s a look at five free-agent tight ends the Colts could target in free agency:

49ers injury updates: RB Tyrion Davis-Price suffers high ankle sprain

The #49ers are dealing with a couple non-Lance injuries from Sunday’s game, including a high ankle sprain for rookie RB Tyrion Davis-Price.

The 49ers had a couple additional injuries after Sunday’s game vs. the Seahawks. Aside from Trey Lance’s season-ending ankle injury, the 49ers also saw running back Tyrion Davis-Price go down with a high ankle sprain. Tight end Tyler Kroft left the game as well with an MCL sprain per head coach Kyle Shanahan when he spoke with reporters Monday on a conference call. Both players will be out a few weeks.

Davis-Price made his debut Sunday against Seattle and had a nice outing with 14 carries for 33 yards, and he showed good open field wiggle and elusiveness. Now his momentum will be derailed for at least a few weeks.

Next up will be undrafted rookie Jordan Mason or veteran RB Marlon Mack who joined the 49ers’ practice squad after RB Elijah Mitchell went down with an MCL sprain in Week 1.

With Kroft the 49ers might luck out with their TE depth. Kroft started the first two games and led the club in snaps at tight end in Week 1. Despite leaving Sunday’s game early he still played 28 percent of the offensive snaps.

If George Kittle returns, the 49ers won’t feel the Kroft loss as much. However, if Kittle is still dealing with a groin injury and has to miss Week 3, it would force San Francisco to dip into their practice squad and bring up TE Troy Fumagalli.

It’s unclear whether either player will go on IR, which would open roster spots, but force them to miss a minimum of four weeks.

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