Jonnu Smith's career year has been 8 seasons in the making

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Dolphins tight end Jonnu Smith looked up at the jumbotron at Hard Rock Stadium and saw a piece of history written next to his name.

He'd just broken Miami's single-season record for receptions (76) and yards (802) for a tight end, making him the most productive at the position in Dolphins history in just his first year with the team.

After the game was over — a 29-17 win over the San Francisco 49ers — Smith took a minute before explaining what that feat meant to him.

“I’ve just got a heart of gratitude right now," Smith said, "a heart of thankfulness for this entire organization for believing in me, for my teammates, the entire offense, and just trusting in my ability to say, ‘Listen, man, this is a guy that we’ve got to implement on a consistent basis in this offense.’ This is the first time that I’ve been able to really come into my own in my career and it’s Year 8. And God’s timing is perfect.”

One of Miami's first free agent signings back in March, Smith was brought in to bolster the Dolphins' tight end position, which has always played a primary blocking role in coach Mike McDaniel's offense but needed a boost. Miami led the league in total offense in 2023 but failed to get a touchdown from any of its tight ends.

The Dolphins weren't exactly expecting Smith to become one of quarterback Tua Tagovailoa's primary targets. Tyreek Hill was coming off a season in which he led the NFL in receiving yards. Jaylen Waddle was on the heels of his third-straight 1,000-yard receiving campaign. And the Dolphins signed former All-Pro Odell Beckham Jr. to be the third-receiving option behind those two.

“It’s not like Jonnu started off with a ton of numbers like Week 1," McDaniel said. “I think he never blinked at the beginning of the season, and was worried about the right stuff — worried about getting better and being his best. As a result, he’s been a key contributor week in and week out."

Smith's stats were modest to start the season: He had just 14 catches for 140 yards through the first five games before catching seven passes for 96 yards and his first touchdown in Week 7 against Indianapolis.

Since then, Smith has 55 receptions, 566 yards and six touchdowns. He has recorded at least 44 receiving yards in all but one game since Week 7, including a career-high 113 yards on 10 receptions against Green Bay on Thanksgiving.

“He impacts the game in a unique way and complements the rest of our players so well,” McDaniel said, “because guys are trying to cover a bunch of space and/or eligibles, and when they are a little half yard out of position, Jonnu generally makes them pay.”

Smith caught all three targets for 44 yards in an overtime win over the Jets in Week 14, after not having a catch in regulation.

Not the type of player to demand the ball or complain about a lack of involvement, Smith went over to McDaniel toward the end of that game and just gave him a look.

“He came and he has this deal where he reminds me of a play, so it’s constructive, but I know what that means,” McDaniel said after that win.

Smith has benefitted from the increased attention that defenses give to Hill and Waddle, employing two-high safety looks that limit the big-play ability of Miami's offense. That has often left Smith open underneath, and his physicality has allotted for plenty of yards after the catch.

The result has been the most productive season of his eight-year career. Smith is fourth among NFL tight ends in yards and receptions and is tied for fourth with six touchdowns.

Before 2024, Smith had never recorded more than 50 receptions and 600 receiving yards in a season since being drafted in the third round by Tennessee in 2017. His most productive season entering this one was last year with Atlanta, when he caught 50 passes for 582 yards and three touchdowns.

“For Jonnu to have come here and believed that I could be the quarterback for him,” Tagovailoa said, "to be able to help him achieve his goals and things that he’s wanted to do playing in the NFL — I can say he’s open. He’s open. If you give him the ball, you see what he does with the ball. I’ve heard the reference safety blanket, so he's my safety blanket, if you will."

Smith has credited McDaniel's system and Tagovailoa for unlocking potential that he says has been there for years.

He said tight end coach Jon Embree specifically has brought the best out of him.

“I run out of bounds on one play, and he’s going crazy over there, man,” Smith said, “because he knows, like, ‘Listen man, you get the ball in your hands, you can do damage.’ So just him holding me to certain standards like that and having that in the back of my mind, I never really had that push in my career, and I had a lot of great coaches.”

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