Breaking Down Miami's Tight End Depth

The Miami Dolphins aren’t completely rebuilding the tight end group, but it is a unit in transition. 

With limited salary cap space, the Dolphins haven’t had the resources to bolster the position early in free agency, but now have five tight ends under contract: Greg Dulcich, Cole Turner, Jalin Conyers, Zach Kuntz, and the newly signed Ben Sims. 

Where Miami's Tight End Room Stands

Days after re-signing Dulcich, Miami agreed to a one-year deal with Sims Thursday. He went undrafted in 2023 but spent more than two seasons with Dolphins GM Jon-Eric Sullivan and head coach Jeff Hafley as part of the Green Bay Packers organization. 

Sims split last season between the Packers and the Minnesota Vikings after being waived in late October. Primarily a blocking tight end, he caught three passes for 30 yards last season and has just 11 receptions for 93 yards in his 45-game career.

The addition of Sims means that the Dolphins now have three tight ends with at least three seasons of NFL experience in Sims, Dulcich, and Turner. However, Dulcich is the only one who’s been targeted at least 25 times in his professional career.

At this point in the offseason, Dulcich is the favorite to be TE1 after catching 26 of 33 targets for 335 yards and a touchdown in 10 games with the Dolphins last season. A 2022 third-round pick by the Denver Broncos, it was the first time he had surpassed five receptions since his rookie year.

Turner, a 2022 fifth-round pick by the Washington Commanders, appeared in 22 games over his first two seasons but has since spent time on the Washington and Tennessee Titans practice squads. He signed a futures contract with Miami on Jan. 9, 2026, but hasn’t played a regular-season down since Week 16 of the 2023 season. 

Like Turner, Kuntz joined the Dolphins on a futures contract in the winter. A 2023 seventh-round pick, Kuntz hasn’t played in a regular-season game and has spent the majority of his three-year career on the New York Jets practice squad. 

He was primarily utilized as a blocking tight end during the preseason, lining up as an inline tight end on 59 percent of his snaps, according to ProFootballFocus. 

Conyers, who went undrafted in 2025, joined the Dolphins in May but was placed on injured reserve with a leg injury during training camp.

With little experience between Turner, Kuntz, and Conyers, Sims has a chance to leapfrog the group as No. 2 on the depth chart. He lacks production as a pass catcher, primarily because he’s blocked on 361 of his 520 regular-season snaps.

That skill set could become crucial in two-tight-end sets with Dulcich, especially with Julian Hill headed elsewhere after filling that No. 2 tight end role over the past three seasons.

Julian Hill Lands with a Divisional Foe

The New England Patriots signed Hill to a three-year contract that could be worth up to $18 million, according to ESPN’s Mike Reiss. 

A 2023 undrafted free agent, Hill joined the Dolphins as a project but steadily carved out a role as the team’s No. 2 tight end. After just six receptions as a rookie, that number doubled to 12 in 2024 and then jumped to 15 receptions for 140 yards last season. 

Two-thirds of Hill’s snaps have come as a blocker, according to PFF. He’s surrendered ten pressures and three quarterback sacks over 150 career snaps as a pass blocker. 

Fans soured on Hill early as he was called for five penalties as a rookie and then nine in 2024. That said, some — not all — of his six combined false starts, illegal formation, and illegal motion penalties that year were due to Miami’s dysfunctional offense and inconsistent quarterback play. 

Tanner Conner signed a futures contract with the New York Giants, and Hayden Rucci signed one with the San Francisco 49ers. With Hill now in New England, Darren Waller is the only tight end from the 2025 Dolphins who remains a free agent.