The Miami Dolphins are coming off a disappointing season and will look to get back on track in 2018. In order for that to happen some players will need to step up.
Yes, the Miami Dolphins 2017 campaign didn’t go as many had hoped it would. With that said, they still have most of the pieces that led to such high hopes following their 2016 playoff appearance.
They have lost a few cogs and added others, but overall the talent balances out. However, with the loss of a guys like Jarvis Landry and Ndamukong Suh, other guys will have to step up.
Focusing on offense first, these four players will have to take that next step in the 2018 NFL season in order for the team to be successful.
TE Mike Gesicki
It’s a lot to put on a rookie, and it’s not something I really want to do. Nonetheless, it’s exactly what the franchise has done. The team has been in search of a large red zone threat for quite a few years now and head coach Adam Gase loves utilizing tight ends in those situations. The only real option on this team is their 2018 second-round pick Mike Gesicki.
Typically, there is quite the learning curve for rookie tight ends in the NFL and no one expects him to be Gronk or Travis Kelce right out of the gate. However, he’s going to have to have a significant impact in year one if the Dolphins are going to find success on offense.
Getting in the end zone has been issue for this squad and Gesicki is a guy that can absolutely be the difference-maker they need. He’s a 6-6 freak athlete who is more than capable of going up and getting the ball. He reminds me a lot of Jimmy Graham and is coming off a nine-touchdown senior season at Penn State.
We’ve seen some rookie tight ends take about three years to develop and others like Jordan Reed and Evan Engram have an immediate impact. Miami needs Gesicki to be more like the latter and make his presence felt this season. 50 catches and eight touchdowns could go a long way for an offense that has been void of an impact tight end in a tight end driven system.