The Chicago Bears signed former Miami Dolphins tight end Durham Smythe to a one-year deal on Thursday, according to NFL.com. The former fourth-round pick in the 2018 NFL Draft out of Notre Dame has played his entire seven-year career with Miami but was released this offseason. Overall, the 28-year-old has hauled in 132 receptions for 1,228 yards and three touchdowns in 112 career games. Smythe is best utilized as a blocker, and with Chicago trading for former Los Angeles Rams offensive lineman Jonah Jackson and former Kansas City Chiefs offensive lineman Joe Thuney, it's evident they want to improve quickly in run and pass blocking. Smythe could help Chicago's offense in 2025 under new head coach Ben Johnson, but he's unlikely to be on the fantasy football radar.
The Chicago Bears are targeting free-agent tight end Durham Smythe, sources tell ESPN's Jeremy Fowler. This one makes sense on multiple levels after the Miami Dolphins released Smythe last month. The Bears also cut veteran tight end Gerald Everett last month, and veteran Marcedes Lewis and Stephen Carlson are both set to be unrestricted free agents next week. Chicago is definitely in the market for depth at the position behind starter Cole Kmet this offseason, and Smythe overlapped with new Bears head coach Ben Johnson in Miami in 2018. The 29-year-old former fourth-rounder in 2018 out of Notre Dame had 132 catches, 1,228 yards and three touchdowns on 175 targets in seven seasons in Miami. Smythe took a back seat to Jonnu Smith last year and finished with a 9-53-0 line in 17 games. If he were to land in Chicago, he wouldn't have much fantasy appeal unless Kmet were to miss time with an injury.
The Miami Dolphins announced on Friday that they released tight end Durham Smythe and cornerback Kendall Fuller. Smythe was originally drafted by the Dolphins in the fourth round in 2018 out of Notre Dame. The 29-year-old caught 132 of his 175 targets for 1,228 yards and only three touchdowns in his 112 games (74 starts) with the team over seven seasons, but now he'll head to the open market after catching just nine passes for 53 yards and no scores on 17 targets in 17 games in 2024. He played just 32% of the offensive snaps last year after the addition of Jonnu Smith. Miami saves $2.175 million in salary cap space with the move. Fuller, 30, suffered multiple concussions and a knee injury that limited him to 11 games in 2024 in his first year in Miami after he began his career with eight years with the Washington Commanders. His release clears $2.761 million against the cap with $5.412 million in dead money.
The Miami Dolphins restructured the contracts of tight end Durham Smythe, fullback Alec Ingold and defensive tackle Zach Sieler on Monday. Coupled with the conversion on cornerback Jalen Ramsey, the Dolphins were able to clear $28.78 million to get under the 2024 salary cap. The 28-year-old Smythe is a blocking first tight end who also served as the team's primary pass-catching tight end in 2023, finishing the year with 35 receptions on 43 targets for 366 yards and no touchdowns. Tight ends haven't been a big part of head coach Mike McDaniels' offense, and there's no reason to expect that to change entering the 2024 season. Smythe should be avoided in most fantasy drafts this fall after the Dolphins added Jonnu Smith to the TE room this offseason.
Miami Dolphins tight end Durham Smythe remained far off of the fantasy radar in a disappointing wild-card loss to the Kansas City Chiefs on Saturday. He ended the game with three catches on four targets for 12 yards and his longest play was just a five-yard catch. The 28-year-old only registered three games with more than three receptions and ended the year with only 366 yards on 35 receptions and no touchdowns. He only managed to get four more yards than Mike Gesicki in his last season with the Dolphins, but he at least managed five touchdowns. Smythe doesn't seem to be worth a draft pick in fantasy leagues next year unless it's a very deep league that uses almost all of the starters in the league.
Durham Smythe Not Fantasy Relevant In Wild-Card Round
Miami Dolphins tight end Durham Smythe has been a non-factor in fantasy football this season and that doesn't seem likely to change now that the stakes are even higher in the NFL playoffs. Smythe posted one double-digit fantasy outing all year in PPR formats and put together just two games of 50 or more yards. He also only collected two games with more than three receptions and four games with more than three targets. The Kansas City Chiefs have more than capable defenders against opposing tight ends and they've given up the fifth-fewest fantasy points to opposing pass-catchers. All of that means Smythe should be avoided in DFS lineups unless anyone is trying to make a dart-throw decision.
Miami Dolphins tight end Durham Smythe caught all three targets for 54 yards in Sunday's hideous loss to the Baltimore Ravens. The 28-year-old had a season-high five catches in the narrow win over the Cowboys on Christmas Eve. But with Jaylen Waddle (ankle) sidelined, Smythe had potential to see more attention from Tua Tagovailoa. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case, as Tyreek Hill absorbed most of the surplus targets, finishing with 12 on the day. Nonetheless, Smythe isn't the worst fantasy option at the position. However, he hasn't scored a touchdown all year, meaning he's not an ideal fantasy choice in Week 18 versus the Bills, even if Waddle isn't back in the mix.
Miami Dolphins tight end Durham Smythe hasn't been on the fantasy radar at all this season and Week 17 is no different. In Week 16, he registered his best game of the season which went for just over 10 fantasy points in PPR formats. He hauled in all five targets for 56 yards which were season highs in both receptions and yards. Despite Jaylen Waddle (ankle) missing this game, Smythe doesn't seem to be the one to receive the bulk of targets that would otherwise go to Waddle. He's the TE36 on the season and averages just 4.1 fantasy points per game. Fantasy managers will want to look elsewhere, especially in a fantasy championship game.
Miami Dolphins tight end Durham Smythe caught all five targets for 56 yards in Sunday's narrow win over the Dallas Cowboys. Jaylen Waddle (ankle) exited during the contest, meaning additional targets were up for grabs. As a result, the 28-year-old had one of his most productive performances of the 2023-24 campaign. With Waddle in danger of missing time, Smythe could see extra attention from Tua Tagovailoa moving ahead, including in Week 17 versus Baltimore. However, he's nowhere near a trustworthy fantasy option.
Durham Smythe Remains Off The Fantasy Radar In Week 16
Miami Dolphins tight end Durham Smythe tied a season-high in receptions against the New York Jets in Week 15 when he hauled in four of them for 32 yards. That was also just the third time this year that he put up seven or more fantasy points. Even if Tyreek Hill (ankle) doesn't suit up in this matchup against the Dallas Cowboys, that won't turn into much production for Smythe. Especially with the Cowboys coming in as the seven-toughest defense against opposing tight ends. Smythe is better left on the bench and shouldn't be relied on in the fantasy playoffs.
Durham Smythe
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Bears
