Dolphins Need to Find A Way to Retain Gesicki
Mike Gesicki is set to hit the open market in just a few short weeks and a decision on his future is looming. The Miami Dolphins, like many NFL teams this offseason, will be presented with several difficult decisions when it comes to reshaping their roster in 2022. The decision regarding Gesicki should be simple, though. Tag or re-sign to a long-term deal, the Dolphins must keep Gesicki on the roster.
In just his fourth year in the NFL, Gesicki hauled in a career-high 73 catches, a career-high 780 receiving yards and two touchdowns while blurring the lines of what a traditional tight end is and they can be. Part of the reason behind that, is that he’s not a typical tight end. In fact, he might not even really be a tight end at all.
Very rarely is he lined up inline – the traditional alignment for a tight end. In 2021, and throughout most of his career, the Dolphins have covertly used him lined up in the slot as a defacto big tight end, or even split out wide against a boundary corner.
Now, the reason for that is a technical double-edged sword. And it’s part of the reason why there’s a possibility Miami could let him walk.
As a blocker, in both pass and run situations, Gesicki is a non-factor. In 2021, he had a run-blocking grade of 46.1 and a pass-blocking grade of 36.6, per PFF. That run-blocking grade ranks as the 80th out of 85 tight ends, while his pass blocking grade is 78th. Blocking is no longer second nature to NFL tight ends, but it still represents a significant portion of their workload. Especially in a Mike McDaniel system.
After a turbulent start to their off-season, the Dolphins appointed the former San Francisco 49ers offensive coordinator to their head coaching role. McDaniel was a key contributor in the 49ers’ wide-zone running game and helped develop the entire offensive system as a whole. The emphasis on tight ends being willing and able, blockers were just as prominent as it was for them to be effective pass catchers.
As we know, Gesicki has only shown flashes of the latter so far. The former just isn’t his modus operandi. And so far, the Dolphins have been cognizant enough of that fact to keep him from blocking situations wherever possible. Whether McDaniel will employ the same sentiment is a different matter entirely.
It would be a catastrophic mistake for the Dolphins to let Gesicki walk at this stage of his career. He’s only 26, is an elite athlete, and has shown to be one of the best pure pass-catching tight ends in the NFL – even if he hasn’t reached his full potential. But if there’s anyone who can effectively utilize Gesicki – something that the Dolphins have struggled to do – it’s McDaniel, who has been a major factor in George Kittle’s ascendancy to the peak of the NFL.
That’s not to compare the two. That’s an unfair comparison because Kittle is a generational player – but he was also placed into a system that highlighted his best attributes. There’s no reason to suggest that McDaniel couldn’t find a way to utilize Gesicki’s best attributes too. Even if he doesn’t fit the mould of what he’s been used to working with.
Gesicki has proven he can be lined up in a number of different ways in an offense. He’s adept at feeling his way through a defense and finding the soft spot in zone coverage, similar to a fighter setting up his haymaker with a series of jabs. To be truly elite, he needs to find ways to consistently win at the line and separate against coverage. But his ability to win contested catches and high point a football almost negates that need.
As it stands, Gesicki is the second-best receiver on the Dolphins roster should he re-sign or be tagged. Financially, the Dolphins have the capability to do either. The tight end franchise tag sits at just under $11 million, and the Dolphins are projected to have around $61 million in cap space – the most in the NFL. It’s safe to assume they could facilitate a deal.
Even if a long-term deal isn’t in the cards, it would be a mistake to not tag Gesicki and at least see how his role could be in a new offensive scheme. One year to decide if he fits into McDaniel’s offense at an above-average price. If the Dolphins elect to part ways with Gesicki, it could be viewed as the failure to properly develop a former second-round pick with the potential to be a top-five player at his position with some tweaks.
Gesicki would comfortably find a role as the starting tight end for another team. There’s no question about that. From Miami’s point of view, it should be a no-brainer. Re-sign or tag Gesicki and allow him to flourish under one of the next young masterminds of the NFL, even if he doesn’t immediately fit the prototype.
-Thomas Valentine
Twitter: @ThomasValenfine
Photo: Atlanta Falcons. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license.