Jonnu Smith got his first action in a Miami Dolphins jersey Saturday night when he caught four passes for 23 yards in a preseason game against the Washington Commanders. It wasn’t a huge stat line, but Smith also didn’t play a ton of snaps.
The tight end — who signed a two-year deal with the Dolphins in March — offered a peek behind the curtain at what his role could be when the Miami offense kicks into full gear in September.
While he caught a few short passes, it was his 9-yard gain on a misdirection touch pass that stood out as a potentially interesting wrinkle for the Dolphins.
jonnu smith 👀 pic.twitter.com/5TgTYwa22Q
— josh houtz (@houtz) August 17, 2024
“He’s used in multiple ways, as you guys have seen,” Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa said after the game. “We look at him sort of as a YAC monster. He catches the ball, and he can get some yards after the catch. He’s very versatile in what we can do with him. We’re just slowly, slowly finding things to do with guys like ‘Nu.’”
Mike McDaniel echoed that sentiment in his postgame press conference.
“I think there’s times when your offense is clicking that defenses will really just try to defend space, and really the field is expanded so to speak with where the defenders are defending in those situations, having fast, aggressive playmakers with the ball in their hands,” McDaniel said. “They can take advantage of those types of things so I think he’s a great addition to our team, and I think there’s a multitude of ways that you can use players, and he’s no exception.”
Smith finished last season with 50 receptions for 582 yards and three touchdowns during a one-year stint with the Atlanta Falcons. That kind of production would be a welcomed addition for the Dolphins, who saw only Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle eclipse 400 receiving yards during the 2023 season.
The preseason debut of Smith offered plenty of signs that he could put up those kind of numbers — and perhaps much more — in Miami.