The Miami Dolphins’ new waiver-wire pickup, Justin Joly, arrives with a profile that’s impossible to miss: as a receiver, he looked like a real problem for college defenses. As a blocker, the picture was a lot less flattering.
That split showed up all over his N.C. State tape.
Among tight ends who played at least 25% of their team’s snaps, Joly posted the ninth-best receiving Pro Football Focus grade in college football last season. Among tight ends selected in the 2026 NFL draft, only three graded higher as receivers.
But in run blocking, he checked in 462nd nationally.
That’s the kind of contradiction that can get a player through the door as a waiver claim, which is exactly what happened for Miami just four months after Denver drafted him in the fifth round.
Broncos general manager George Paton was candid about where Joly stood when roster cuts came around.
“We knew he was raw, and we still liked the player. He was coming on toward the end of training camp.
The tight end position is a tough position for a rookie... Just a little bit behind,” Paton said after roster cuts.
“We wish we had another game or two. We still like the player, we think he’s going to have a nice career.”
Joly did give Denver reasons to believe during the preseason. Over three games, he caught five passes for 105 yards and a touchdown. The highlight was an 88-yard score in the finale against Minnesota.
But the Broncos already had veteran tight ends Evan Engram and Adam Trautman, and they also used a draft pick on another rookie tight end, Dallen Bentley.
At N.C. State, the 6-foot-3, 241-pound Joly was a production piece in the passing game. He finished his final college season with 49 catches and seven receiving touchdowns, which tied the program’s single-season record for a tight end.
He moved around plenty, too. Roughly 35% of his snaps came from the slot last season, and his alignment breakdown showed how often he was used as a movable piece: inline 286 times, in the slot 184 times, out wide 26 times and in the backfield 23 times.
The receiving traits are easy to spot on film. Against Florida State, he lined up in the slot, sold vertical at full speed, then used a subtle rocker step to stick inside and create enough room from the defensive back before working to the pylon for a touchdown.
Later in that same game, he showed he could handle contact and still finish the play, a trait that could matter if Miami turns him into a dependable option underneath.
Joly also showed a knack for hanging on to throws in traffic, including one seam route where he took a shot low, got flipped over, and still secured the catch.
Miami doesn’t have a tight end with that kind of receiving profile. The real question is whether the Dolphins can clean up the rest.
Right now, Joly’s blocking is built more on size than technique. He’ll absorb contact and try to anchor, but he doesn’t consistently land his hands well or generate the leverage needed to move defenders off their spot.
That can get by in college. In the NFL, it gets exposed fast if the technique doesn’t come with it.
Still, there’s a path here. If rookie tight end Will Kacmarek develops into the blocker Miami wants, Joly could be given time to grow into that side of the position while carving out a role as a big receiving target on a roster already heavy with rookie pass-catchers.
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