Dolphins Lose Out on Veteran Tight End

Fant made a ton of sense for the Dolphins as a potential replacement for Jonnu Smith, who was traded to the Steelers after breaking the franchise record for tight end yards and receptions. 

Fant, who had 48 catches for 500 yards last season, is an uber-athletic tight end with good speed and ability with the ball in his hands. He’s much closer to Smith than anyone the Dolphins have on the roster, so his fit in the offense is pretty easy to see.

Many viewed the Dolphins’ interest in Fant as a possible hedge against Darren Waller, who is still on the physically unable to perform list. The Dolphins traded for Waller after he spent the entire 2024 season retired, so it’s not surprising he needs a ramp-up period. 

However, Waller also has an extensive injury history that goes beyond whether he’s back in football shape yet. Still, Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel insists the team is happy with Waller.

“[Fant’s visit] wasn’t directly related to Darren,” McDaniel said at a press conference on Wednesday. “It was a chance for a football player who we feel is a pretty good fit for us. We’ll see in the next couple of days if we go in that direction or not.” 

The Dolphins will have to hope Waller is in good shape because, unless another productive player is released, it’ll be tough for the Dolphins to upgrade the tight end room. 

Outside of Waller, the team has two blocking tight ends in Julian Hill and Pharaoh Brown. Their role is incredibly important to the running game, but they won’t show up on the box score too much. 

That leaves Tanner Conner and Jalin Conyers as the other pass catchers. Conner is always a strong training camp performer, but he’s yet to turn that into regular season success. Conyers is a 2025 UDFA and is currently dealing with some kind of injury, according to McDaniel. 

Miami’s entire tight end depth chart combined for 23 catches and 181 yards in 2024. Losing out on Fant isn’t a big deal, but there’s no doubt he would’ve been an immediate upgrade and a hedge against an unreliable player in Waller.