The Miami Dolphins are setting records on offense this season, rivaling the likes of the 2007 New England Patriots and the Greatest Show on Turf. There’s no way it could get any more lethal, right? Right?
Not unless Rob Gronkowski has anything to say about it.
Appearing on The Ryen Russillo Podcast, the future Hall of Fame tight end said, “It would be pretty cool to play for the Miami Dolphins.”
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Rob Gronkowski Praises Mike McDaniel’s Dolphins Offense
“Mike McDaniel, he’s taken that style of offense — he’s implemented it to a whole other level,” Gronkowski told The Ringer’s Ryen Russilo.
But how would Gronkowski fit on an offense that’s predicated on finding the fastest players leaguewide and running them straight by any defender in sight?
“The only thing he’s missing is a tight end, and I feel like I would be able to adapt to that situation,” Gronkowski explained. “All these wide receivers are going all over the place, and then there I am up the middle, just wide open. So I think I would be a great fit.”
It’s hard to fathom an offense that already features Tua Tagovailoa, Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle, and Raheem Mostert getting any more dangerous, especially given how efficient McDaniel’s system has proven to be when featuring blazing-fast playmakers married with Tagovailoa’s deadly precision.
MORE: Tyreek Hill’s Bizarre Comparison for Chase Claypool
But adding arguably the greatest tight end of all time to the mix? One would have to think McDaniel and general manager Chris Grier would welcome the idea with open arms.
Will it happen? Probably not. Gronkowski recently stated that he’s 100 percent retired and that even a Tom Brady comeback wouldn’t lure him from the couch and the NFL studio analyst desk.
Then again, we’ve seen other players emphatically affirm their retirement only to lace up the cleats one more time. Never say never, especially when a chance for another Super Bowl run is on the table, something many NFL pundits believe this iteration of the Dolphins provides.
Gronkowski is widely considered one of the greatest NFL tight ends of all time. The four-time first-team All-Pro and five-time Pro Bowler is a member of the NFL’s 100th Anniversary All-Time Team.
He finished his storied career, which featured four Super Bowl rings across his time with the New England Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, with 621 receptions, 9,286 yards, and 92 touchdowns.
Rob Gronkowski-Miami Dolphins Fantasy Football Implications
The last time we saw Gronk was in 2021, a season in which Mike Evans thrived alongside him to the tune of a career-high 14 scores. Gronk’s last truly elite season (69 receptions for 1,084 yards and eight touchdowns) was in 2017, a year where fellow pass catcher Brandin Cooks averaged a career-best 16.6 yards per catch.
The moral of the (potential) story is that big-play threats have benefited from Gronk’s presence. So what would it look like in Miami if Gronk is in good shape and a legit threat?
Hill has been the productive WR up to this point, and his big-play potential complements Gronk well. Waddle, however, could see his already inconsistent production (one top-30 finish this season) take a significant hit.
Through five weeks, Waddle’s average depth of target is 36.1% lower than that of Hill, and considering that Waddle hasn’t had a game with more than five catches since Week 8 of last season, his early season struggles wouldn’t project to be fixed any time soon.
— PFN Fantasy and Betting Analyst Kyle Soppe