Dolphins Urged to Explore Signing Recently Cut TE Noah Fant

The Miami Dolphins parted ways with Jonnu Smith while re-acquiring safety Minkah Fitzpatrick. But they could upgrade their tight end position a different way.

Miami could target former Seattle Seahawks and Denver Broncos tight end Noah Fant, who was recently cut by the Seahawks just days before its training camp opens.

Fant is coming off a 48-catch, 500-yard season in Seattle in 2024 yet found himself unemployed to make space for rookie second-round pick Elijah Arroyo, who Seattle selected at the 50th overall pick.

But Seattle’s loss could be Miami’s gain.

Why Should The Dolphins Sign Noah Fant?

Miami caught a lot of flack from the football world when they added Smith with cornerback Jalen Ramsey in the trade with the Pittsburgh Steelers that sent Fitzpatrick back to the Fins, who selected him 11th overall in the 2018 NFL Draft.

The Dolphins signed veteran Darren Waller out of retirement, but he was out of football in 2024 and will be 33 on Sept. 13. The other tight ends on Miami’s roster, Tanner Conner, Pharoah Brown and Julian Hill, plus undrafted free agent Jalin Conyers, combined for just 181 receiving yards a season ago in the NFL.

So that led Dante Collinelli of SI on Dolphins to consider what Fant could do with Tua Tagvailoa and the high-octane Miami offense.

“Fant is an uber-athletic tight end with good speed and ability with the ball in his hands,” Collinelli wrote. “He’s actually much closer to Smith than anyone the Dolphins have on the roster, so his fit in the offense is pretty easy to see.

“To say Fant would be an improvement in that department would be an understatement.”

Waller is both big and physical and fast, but he is up against Father Time and Mike McDaniel’s offensive scheme.

“Waller has to get back into football shape, learn the Dolphins offense, and deal with the fact that he’s now older,” Collinelli wrote. “Tanner Conner has never been an impact player, Jalin Conyers is a UDFA, and Julian Hill and Pharaoh Brown are blockers.

Will Noah Fant Sign With The Dolphins?

The Dolphins may have a need for a tight end, and they may have been in more of a position to add Fant if they had not signed Waller.

But thanks to $54 million in dead cap space, including $30 million tied up in former defensive backs Ramsey and Xavien Howard, the Dolphins are left with just $2 million in cap space ahead of the season.

Part of how they fit Waller in was his bargain-basement $2 million contract, and Fant seems likely to command more than that as a 27-year-old tight end with 15 career touchdowns.

Yet, the Dolphins also need to figure out how to acquire Ramsey’s replacement, since cornerbacks Cam Smith (33.6), Storm Duck (55.5) and Kader Kohou (64.5) each had terrible 2o24 grades per Pro Football Focus.

“The truth is that cornerback is far more important than tight end,” Collinelli wrote. “The [Dolphins] can create a little more space, but assuming it’s more concerned about the cornerback position, it might be challenging to sign a veteran defensive back, Fant, and have enough money to operate during the season.”