Durham Smythe DVOA, Advanced Stats, & Fantasy Rankings

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.