Miami Dolphins free agency 2024: Closer look at Jonnu Smith

The Miami Dolphins added tight end Jonnu Smith early in the 2024 NFL free agency period. Today, we take a closer look at Miami’s new tight end with some help from The Falcoholic.

The Miami Dolphins have had a busy start to the 2024 NFL league year. A series of roster moves had to be made to get under the NFL’s salary cap limit, then the team began rebuilding their roster through free agency signings. Those signings included the addition of former Atlanta Falcons tight end Jonnu Smith.

Miami agreed to terms with Smith early in the negotiating period, the three days during which teams and agents can discuss potential contracts. Who are the Dolphins getting in their new tight end? To get a closer look at Smith, I turned to Kevin Knight at The Falcoholic for an insider look.

Why was Smith released by the Falcons?

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Salary cap and offensive philosophy changes. Jonnu Smith was sitting on an extravagant $9.5M cap hit in 2024, and Atlanta saved $6.5M of it with his release. With Kyle Pitts in the building and likely to see a heavy target share with a return to health (and a front office and coaching staff determined to prove he was worthy of such a high pick), Smith was getting paid a ton of money to be TE2. In Arthur Smith’s 12-personnel heavy offense, it made sense. The Falcons are now transitioning to an 11-personnel heavy scheme under Zac Robinson, who comes from the McVay tree. The workload simply wasn’t there to justify Smith’s salary.

Smith appeared to have a career revitalization in his one eason with the Falcons, recording career highs with 50 receptions for 582 yards. He also scored three times. He only played 58 percent of the offensive snaps, but he seemed to make good on his opportunities. What worked so well for him and what are his strengths?

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Arthur Smith and Jonnu Smith seem to really understand each other. In fact, I think many could argue Jonnu Smith was the one player Arthur Smith really utilized to the best of his ability in 2023. Jonnu has a unique build and athletic profile at TE. He’s on the short side for the position, but has much better agility and explosiveness than a typical tight end. That made him a surprisingly good target on screens and other short passes out of the backfield. He’s a good athlete and a talented run-after-catch threat, and he can rip off big gains if given space. Smith is also a pretty respectable pass blocker given his size.

What weaknesses does he have to his game?

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Jonnu Smith lacks ideal size and thus isn’t as good of a catch-radius or contested catch receiver as a typical tight end. He’s also a below-average run blocker when playing in-line and doesn’t make an impact as a traditional tight end. He’s a unique receiving threat, but can’t really do a lot of the things you’d typically want your TE2 to do.

Are there any concerns Dolphins fans should have with the team adding Smith to the roster?

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If you’re adding him to be a receiving specialist and occasional extra pass blocker, you’re going to be pleasantly surprised with what Jonnu Smith brings to the table. If you need him to play in-line or do traditional tight end things, that’s not his game. Smith was a terrific team player and will bring good energy to the locker room, so no worries from that angle. If the Dolphins can craft a role for him based on his unique talents, I think he could be a very nice addition to the offense.11