And then there was one. The Miami Dolphins pushed their 2021 rookie class one player closer to being completely signed on Friday when they inked 2nd-round selection Jevon Holland to his rookie deal — and today made another step towards a completely signed rookie class with the announcement of a contract with TE Hunter Long.
Long, who was the team’s 3rd-round choice in this past April’s NFL draft, is expected to be a prominent contender among the Dolphins’ crowded tight end room.
.@HunterLong makes it official! #FinsUp pic.twitter.com/aHco2zbGnj
— Miami Dolphins (@MiamiDolphins) July 26, 2021
Long’s addition seems to offer an ominous tone to the other tight ends on the roster; including two incumbent players who are entering the 2021 season entering into contract years. Dolphins tight end Mike Gesicki is more of a big slot receiver than a true tight end based on his usage with the team, but Miami faces a challenging decision with him in the coming year. Durham Smythe, drafted in the same class as Gesicki, is more of a true tight end and plays a traditional hand in the dirt role — what we should expect to see from Hunter Long as he develops as a member of the team.
And with Miami’s next round of roster cuts looming in just over a month for the start of the regular season, the competition in the coming weeks will be fascinating to see play out. How quickly Long assimilates himself to that room will likely go a long way in determining who is cut from the Dolphins’ tight end room at the start of the season. If Long proves himself ready for a role immediately, it may make Smythe expendable and allow the Dolphins to save a reasonable amount of money against the cap.
But quickly transitions for tight ends are more the exception to the rule when coming from college to the NFL — and so we’ll need to see what Long does throughout camp and the preseason before making any confident forecasts for the group this season.
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