When I first heard the other day that the Miami Dolphins were in discussions with the Pittsburgh Steelers for a trade involving Pro Bowl Tight End Jonnu Smith, I thought, ‘What are the Dolphins thinking?’ I have thought about it over the last few days, and it’s not a bad idea to consider if you get the right deal.
Smith is coming off a career and franchise year with 88 catches, over 800 yards receiving, and eight touchdowns, so why would the Dolphins consider this?
First he is about to turn 30 years old and given how the Dolphins have burned themselves with recent contract extensions with Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Ramsey perhaps they don’t want to do this again after they are going to trade Ramsey and Hill is on borrowed time since the team can get out of his contract next year with all of his drama.
The Dolphins are also starting a rebuilding situation because they used a lot of their draft capital to rebuild the trenches of the offense and particularly the defensive line, so on the surface, it looks like general manager Chris Grier is calling his 2019 a failure, and the team needs to start rebuilding. It started this year and will most likely continue next year as well, when they release Hill, and I’m sure more will follow as the team adds draft picks next year.
Additionally, as noted in an article by our own Jose Esquer, Smith only played in 55% of the offensive plays last year and isn’t considered an elite tight end. Plus, he is only a pass catcher and not a run blocker.
I understand that Smith wants a new deal because it will likely be his last chance to secure a big contract, as he is entering his 30s. A player should try to get as much money as he can, as football is a short career.
The thing is, Smith, before last year, had never caught more than 50 passes in a season or surpassed 600 yards receiving, so how much is he expecting to get? The Dolphins, I’m sure, have a price in mind and don’t want to go crazy on a player having just one great year. Additionally, Smith is on his fourth NFL team, so he has been around. If he is considered one of the better tight ends, I don’t think the Dolphins would have signed him to a two-year contract a year ago. The other thing is a lot of Smith’s passes came from behind the line of scrimmage on screen passes so of course his catches were up.
What could the Dolphins get for Smith? Honestly, probably not much. I wondered why the Steelers would be interested, considering they are deep at that position, but if they offered 3rd year tight end Darnell Washington, I might be tempted because he is a big, physical tight end, and I know the Dolphins have enough of those, but maybe he could develop into a receiver. Plus, he’s on a rookie contract for the next two years, and the Dolphins don’t have any tight ends under contract beyond this year.
I think the Dolphins should keep Smith, but they should consider their options, especially if they aren’t going to redo his contract and it expires after this year. The Dolphins are obviously starting a rebuild, even if Grier won’t admit it, so consider getting something in return for Smith or letting him play out his deal.
