With the start of the new league year approaching, **Dolphins.com** continues a series of free agency previews with tight ends.
Dolphins Status
The Dolphins invested into the tight end position last year when they selected **Mike Gesicki** from Penn State and **Durham Smythe** from Notre Dame in the 2018 NFL draft and later signed former Buffalo Bills draft pick **Nick O’Leary** and eventually gave him a contract extension.
**MarQueis Gray** spent the season on injured reserve with an Achilles injury and **A.J. Derby** joined him on IR in December, and both are scheduled to become unrestricted free agent with the start of the new league year.
Notable Free Agents at the Position
Jared Cook, Oakland Raiders: The 10-year NFL veteran has become more productive as his career has evolved. He set career highs with 54 catches and 688 yards with the Raiders in 2017 and then topped those marks with 68 receptions for 896 yards in 2018 when he also had a career-high six touchdowns. Cook also has played for the Titans, Rams and Packers.
Tyler Eifert, Cincinnati Bengals: Eifert battled injuries the past three seasons, but it's impossible not to notice what he did in 2015 when 13 of his 52 catches went for touchdowns. The former first-round pick of the Cincinnati Bengals had 15 catches for 179 yards and one touchdown in four games last season.,
Demetrius Harris, Kansas City Chiefs: It was easy for Harris to get lost in a K.C. offense featuring a bunch of playmakers, including a Pro Bowl player at his position, Travis Kelce. Harris didn't put up big numbers for the Chiefs (12 catches for 164 yards and three touchdowns) last season, but he's got some athletic ability and great size at 6 feet 7.
Jesse James, Pittsburgh Steelers: A solid blocker, James proved a dependable pass catcher for the Steelers the past three seasons when he averaged 37 catches. He became more of a factor downfield last season when he averaged 14.1 yards per reception, an impressive figure for a tight end.
Tyler Kroft, Cincinnati, Bengals: A former third-round pick out of Rutgers, Kroft was limited to five games last season, but he had 42 catches for 404 yards and seven touchdowns in 2017. Kroft has prototypical tight end size at 6-6, 252 pounds.
Levine Toilolo, Detroit Lions: A former third-round pick of the Atlanta Falcons out of Stanford, Toilolo had 21 catches in 2018 in his first season with the Lions. At 6-8, 268, Toilolo has the size to be a factor in the red zone.
Maxx Williams, Baltimore Ravens: The son of longtime Giants center Brian Williams, Maxx Williams never really emerged as a playmaker for the Ravens, catching only 31 passes for the past three seasons after catching 32 as a rookie in 2015. Williams does have an intriguing skill set, however, and he'll be only 25 when the 2019 season kicks off.
Luke Willson, Detroit Lions: Like Toilolo, Willson joined the Lions as a free agent last offseason and he started eight of the 14 games he played. Willson spent his first five NFL seasons with the Seattle Seahawks, for whom he started 37 games and caught 89 passes. Along with tight end, Willson has lined up at fullback and wide receiver during his NFL career.
