Dolphins signing free agent tight end Tyler Kroft

The Miami Dolphins are signing veteran tight end Tyler Kroft to a one-year contract, according to Kroft’s agent Mike McCartney. The deal brings Miami a fifth tight end, joining Durham Smythe, Tanner Conner, Eric Saubert, and Elijah Higgins. Saubert was added earlier this offseason as a free agent signing while Higgins was a sixth-round pick in last month’s NFL Draft. Higgins was a wide receiver at Stanford, but is expected to be converted to a tight end with Miami.

Kroft was a third-round pick by the Cincinnati Bengals in 2015, spending four seasons there. He signed with the Buffalo Bills in free agency in 2019l, then joined the New York Jets in 2021. Last year, he played for the San Francisco 49ers.

For his career, Kroft has 105 receptions for 1,081 yards with 13 touchdowns. He was limited to just 11 games with four starts last year in San Francisco, catching four passes for 57 yards. As Nicholas McGee from Niners Nation succinctly explained just ahead of the start of free agency this year, “Tyler Kroft’s impact after signing to a one-year deal last offseason was limited.”

Kroft is not going to come into the Dolphins’ tight end group and suddenly explode into a dominant player at the position. He likely serves as a veteran backup to Smythe for a season, giving the team time to develop Higgins.

The Dolphins continue to look for solid signings to add depth to their roster. Kroft fits that mold.