The Miami Dolphins might not have to wait until the start of free agency to upgrade at the tight end position.
Jonnu Smith, who went to school locally at FIU, was in Miami Gardens Tuesday for a free agent visit, Pro Football Network can confirm, and the two sides are talking contract. ESPN first reported the visit.
Miami Dolphins Visit With Free Agent TE Jonnu Smith
Smith is what’s known as a street free agent — he was under contract in 2024 before the Atlanta Falcons cut him last week — so he can sign with a team prior to next week’s start of the league year.
If Smith and the Dolphins can work out a deal, he would provide quality depth to what was among the worst tight end rooms in the league in 2023.
The only players at that position currently under contract in 2024 for the Dolphins are Durham Smythe (who had 35 catches for 366 yards and no touchdowns in 2023) and Julian Hill (6-48-0).
Smith, meanwhile, had 50 catches for 582 yards and three touchdowns for the Falcons, who acquired him via trade from the New England Patriots last March.
Smith was a disappointment for the Patriots after signing a four-year, $50 million free agent contract in March 2021. He had just 55 catches for 539 yards and one touchdown in his two seasons in New England, earning a whopping $26.8 million from the team during that stretch.
He should come much cheaper in 2024, which is good news for the Dolphins, who are still some $15 million over the cap even after cutting Jerome Baker and Keion Crossen on Tuesday.
Smith, 28, was a third-round pick by the Tennessee Titans out of FIU after he totaled 2,001 receiving yards and 18 touchdowns during his four seasons in West Miami-Dade.
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Smith is probably one of the top tight ends expected to be available this cycle, particularly after the Houston Texans locked up Dalton Schultz with a new three-year deal earlier in the day.
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