‘I want that.’ A silver lining: the Miami Dolphins could have two Pro Bowlers

The Miami Dolphins’ 2024 season hasn’t gone as planned.

A postseason appearance should be considered a long shot. The offense hasn’t been as productive as its 2023 iteration. And there’s a real chance the team could finish under .500.

Still, there’s a bright spot: the Dolphins could have two Pro Bowlers in Jonnu Smith and Alec Ingold.

The tight end and fullback both ranked fourth at their respective positions, according to vote tally that NFL insider Tom Pelissero posted on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter. Friday’s tally didn’t include the votes that were cast via X. The Pro Bowl players are determined by the consensus votes of fans, players and coaches.

Despite his reputation as one of the best possession tight ends in the league, Smith has yet to make a Pro Bowl. Following his tremendous overtime performance that led to a victory over the New York Jets, he expressed in very plain terms what such an honor meant to him.

“I want that,” Smith said when he heard a media member deem his season worthy of the Pro Bowl.

The defenses deployed against the Dolphins — primarily the constant use of two-high safeties to limit the explosiveness of receivers Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle — have opened holes for Smith throughout the season. Entering Sunday’s game, he had 70 receptions for 740 yards and six touchdowns. That was tied for the team lead in catches with tailback De’Von Achane and second to Hill in receiving yards.

Smith is on pace to break the franchise single-season records for catches (73) and receiving yards (791) by a tight end. Randy McMichael (2004) and Mike Gesicki (2021) hold the record for catches and McMichael (2004) has the record for receiving yards. As of Sunday morning, Smith, an eight-year veteran, ranked fourth in the NFL in receptions and receiving yards at his position.

“There are a lot of different things we can try with him that we haven’t tried in the past with other tight ends,” McDaniel said before referring to Hill and Waddle by number. “I think the biggest thing, regardless of position, is we thought we could benefit from the extra space the other three eligibles get based on the attention to 10 and 17. “The expansion of the field the defense is defending, how to best take advantage of that space.”

Smith is on pace to break the Dolphins franchise tight end receiving and reception records that Randy McMichael set in 2004. As of Sunday morning, the eight-year veteran ranked fourth in both receptions and yards receiving at his position.

“It gives me goosebumps because of the amount of work [he’s put in] and how it shows up on the field,” Ingold said of Smith. “His habits, his routines. He’s leading by example in a number of ways.”

Despite recording only the second rushing touchdown of his career, Ingold has had a relatively down year having missed two games due to a calf injury. It also doesn’t help that the Dolphins rushing attack has taken a huge step back — down a league-leading 5.1 yards per carry to a lowly 3.9 — amid both his early season ailments and that of the offensive line. The six-year pro, however, has still managed to put up his highest rushing yard total since his rookie year.

“When you start to look at the circumstances of why something isn’t happening, sometimes the simple answer of not being able to execute is the tough one that you have to really dial into,” Ingold said of the rushing failures. “I think being able to look at those circumstances and why we aren’t performing with those 11 guys on the field, being able to run the ball. There’s no finger pointing, there’s no excuses and it’s simple, but it’s hard to do. And I think that’s the challenge that we all have to kind of embrace and not look at any sort of outside help.”

The 2023 Dolphins boasted one of the best offenses in franchise history. Not only did quarterback Tua Tagovailoa and Hill lead the league in passing and receiving yards, the duo as well as several various players including tailback Raheem Mostert, Achane and kicker Jason Sanders rewrote the team history books. Their success resulted in five Pro Bowlers on that side of the ball: Tagovailoa, Mostert, Hill, Ingold and offensive tackle Terron Armstead. Star cornerback Jalen Rasmey also made the 2023 Pro Bowl.

While all six of the aforementioned Pro Bowlers returned in 2024, early season injuries led to several losses that eventually came back to haunt the Dolphins. A Pro Bowl appearance for Smith and Ingold in 2024, however, might not be the worst consolation prize.