Arthur Smith cannot get enough Jonnu Smith, can he? The two Smiths first worked together when Arthur was the offensive coordinator of the Tennessee Titans. Jonnu would follow him to the Atlanta Falcons when Arthur was the head coach of them from 2021 to 2023. While he could have followed him to the Pittsburgh Steelers, he had a fantastic season for the Miami Dolphins.
Smith was the Dolphins' lone Pro Bowler last year, setting franchise records for receptions, receiving yards and touchdowns for a tight end. Although he reportedly wants to stay with the Dolphins long-term, but at a higher price, Miami wants to get out of some money instead. It is why ESPN's Adam Schefter reported on Thursday afternoon that Pittsburgh could come calling for the star tight end.
If I were a Steelers fan, I would be very excited about the idea of adding Smith. He knows the other Smith's system and is coming off his best year as a professional. Smith could be a vibrant piece in the receiving game for the Steelers, regardless of who their starting quarterback ends up being. On the other hand, I would not be thrilled about this rumor if I was a fan of the Dolphins. Do they want to win?
Miami's willingness to deal Jalen Ramsey, along with the news on Smith, tells me what I need to know.
I am increasingly confident that the Dolphins will either finish in third or last place in the AFC East.
Miami Dolphins potentially trading Jonnu Smith speaks volumes for them
In a given NFL season, there are about eight teams with serious Super Bowl aspirations at the start of it. Conversely, there are usually around eight teams that have virtually no shot of winning either the AFC or NFC. As for the other 16 in the middle, it could go either way. I thought Miami might be in that group of 16, but their actions or overall vibes suggest to me otherwise this spring.
While we still have some time to see what all transpires in the final months of the offseason, I am increasingly inclined to group Miami with teams such as the New Orleans Saints, New York Giants and Tennessee Titans that are not expected to do much instead with teams like the Arizona Cardinals, Carolina Panthers and Chicago Bears, who all might be exponentially better than we ever expected.
So when the Dolphins are being tied to trade rumors involving their best players potentially being on the move, believe them. This is a team that seems more likely than not to reset it after this season. I feel bad for their head coach Mike McDaniel, who is the best thing to happen to the franchise since Dave Wannstedt. Chris Grier could be gone as well, but even he is not without fault for this mess.
If Miami deals a player like Smith to a similar team in-conference like Pittsburgh, what does that say?