Phins Add Jonnu Smith! But Losing Hunt?!

The hope is that Miami can pair Jonnu with Hunt in 2024

The Miami Dolphins received both good and bad news on their offseason talent acquisition today. First, the great news is tight end Jonnu Smith was added at a very reasonable price. This is the first real threat from the tight end position Miami’s had since Charles Clay. On the down side, Jaguars guard Ezra Cleveland set the floor for interior offensive linemen with a 3 year $2 million dollar contract. This will push the floor of Robert Hunts price tag up to the moon because Cleveland isn’t very good, although he is only 25 years old. With Cleveland setting the contract floor so high, the cash strapped Phins front office will be hard pressed to reel Hunt back in. But, Hunt isn’t out of the picture and Smith is in, so let’s start with the positives about his signing.

Tight end is a mismatch for defenses

Tua is going to get his next contract soon and it’s going to be big. The Dolphins obviously need to keep him healthy and productive. A tight end is known as a quarterbacks security blanket, and Jonnu, along with Hill and Waddle, will stress opposing defense at all levels even more than last year. This will make the job of the opposing defense even harder and Tua more productive. Jonnu is only 28 years old, excels at yards after the catch, and was signed for a very reasonable 2 year $10 million dollar contract.

There’s a lot to like about this acquisition.

Smith isn’t Kelce or Kittle, but this is still a big deal for an explosive, but predictable Phins passing game. Defenses will have to worry about not putting too small a defense on the field with Jonnu. They’ll have to dial up the size against Miami a little more and that will hurt their defensive speed and give Tua more opportunities at explosive pays.

The only knock on Jonnu is he’s a sub par run blocker. Miami struggled to run the ball inside, in bad weather, on short yardage situations, and in the Red Zone. Jonnu won’t help the Dolphins with this important need. This is where the Dolphins can offset this flaw by improving their offensive line.

You can see now how critical it is for Miami to reel in Robert Hunt!

I love Wilkins! But, Miami needs Hunt even more!

Robert Hunt is the best offensive linemen we’ve drafted since Mike Pouncey. The kid is big and can move… and more importantly move big defenders. The market of inside offensive linemen has been heating up and it looks like Hunt will command a hefty salary given the Cleveland signing. Miami must boost this offensive line especially if both Hunt and Connor Williams are going, which it looks like. Hunt was in the building yesterday, so maybe it’s a good sign he’s working something out. But, the reality is you can bet with the best pay per head that his price tag is north of $15 million per year.

If Hunt returns and they add a quality offensive linemen in the draft, this Phins offense could do just enough on the inside run game to be impossible to defend. But, if Hunt doesn’t return, then my concern is they’ll be too soft again on the inside run game. There’s a long way to go from here to there, let’s just hope Miami can get this offensive line right. If Chris Grier does figure out the trenches then the blazing speed of Achane, Mostert, Jonnu, Waddle, and Hill, led by Tua might just have the offense that can drive the 2024 Dolphins to the top of the league. Go Phins!!!