Tua, Dolphins hope others can rise up

Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa found himself running out of players to throw to during a comeback attempt last Sunday against the Kansas City Chiefs.

And he may be without one of those teammates he has appeared to build an on-field rapport with this week in his first matchup against Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots on Sunday.

Dolphins tight end Mike Gesicki, the team’s leader with six touchdowns this season, was unable to practice Wednesday due to a shoulder injury he suffered vs. the Chiefs.

The Dolphins have been mum on whether Gesicki may or may not be available for the Patriots game, or for the final three games this season. But Tagovailoa, the team’s No. 5 pick in April’s NFL draft who is preparing for his seventh career start, hopes to turn the issue into a solution.

“Yeah, I think it’s hard to replace a guy like Mike … but it’s next man up,” Tagovailoa said on Wednesday. “And the guys that are ready to play, they’re hungry to play. And it’s just opportunity for them as well.

“It’s a great time for me as a quarterback to show my leadership with these guys, these new guys, and also work on my timing with them.”

Tagovailoa, who said after the Chiefs game he was praying for Gesicki and his injury, seemed to be getting his timing and chemistry down pact with him during the past two games.

The two have connected for 14 catches on 17 total targets for 153 yards and three touchdowns in games against the Chiefs and the Cincinnati Bengals on Dec. 6.

Gesicki’s nine catches against Cincinnati were a career-high, while his two touchdowns caught against Kansas City was just his

second multi-touchdown game of his career.

Overall, Gesicki has 44 catches this season for a careerhigh 602 yards receiving. His six touchdowns are also a career high for the Penn State product selected in the second round of the 2018 draft.

Now, don’t bring that fact up to Dolphins tight end Durham Smythe, who has a playful gripe about being Miami’s fourth-round pick in the same draft (this all happened before general manager Chris Grier hired Brian Flores to take over for former coach Adam Gase).

“First of all, you mentioned the second-round and fourthround thing, and I tell him every day they made a mistake in that regard. It should’ve been the other way around, and I stand by that. That was obviously an organizational mistake but I guess it’s worked out in the long run here,” Smythe said joking about Gesicki.

“I know he’s had this in him since we first got here. He’s progressed a lot in terms of strength, understanding the game, things like that. He’s always had this ability. I knew that from Day 1. This year, he’s been able to show it on a consistent basis. Things that I’ve seen over the last three years, everyone is starting to see now.”

Smythe said he’s leading the charge on Gesicki’s Pro Bowl campaign.

After all, Gesicki is fourth among all NFL tight ends with his production totals, trailing only Kansas City’s Travis Kelce, Las Vegas Raiders tight end Darren Waller, and Detroit’s T.J. Hockenson.

But Smythe and fellow Dolphins backup Adam Shaheen must carry the tight end load for the team — for as long as Gesicki may be out with three games remaining this season and a playoff berth on the line.

“He’s made a couple good one-handed catches that we haven’t seen from the other guys,” Dolphins tight ends coach George Godsey said of Gesicki.

“Each day in practice we see what everybody’s capable of, but we’re confident in that group.”

After hosting the Patriots, the Dolphins finish their 2020 season on the road against the Raiders on Dec. 26 and against the Buffalo Bills on Jan. 3.

Miami needs wins in all three games to clinch a playoff berth, its first since 2016.

Smythe is also having a career year with 16 catches for 139 yards and two touchdowns, topping his first two seasons in the NFL combined.

Shaheen, an offseason acquisition who signed a contract extension earlier this year, has also been reliable catching nine passes for 110 yards with three touchdowns.

As for Gesicki, Smythe says his best friend is doing well despite his injury.

“Mike’s a guy who’s always high energy. He’s in high spirits,” Smythe said. “Nothing has really changed. You love to see that.”

Hopefully for Tagovailoa and the Dolphins, other passing targets can emerge to carry the load in Gesicki’s absence.