The Dolphins brought Ben Sims to Miami because Jon-Eric Sullivan already knew what he was getting.
That familiarity was part of the plan this offseason, with Jeff Hafley and Sullivan leaning into names and faces they trusted. Hafley filled out his coaching staff with people he had worked with before, and Sullivan added players with Packers ties.
Sims fit that mold cleanly. He spent three seasons with Green Bay, then landed in Miami as a free agent after Sullivan brought him over from the Vikings.
Now comes the part the Dolphins need to see.
Sims was supposed to give Greg Dulcich some competition at tight end, but the early buzz around his offseason work hasn’t been flattering. He hasn’t stood out during OTAs, at least not to some in the media, and that leaves him with a critical training camp ahead.
There is, of course, some context here. Miami hasn’t put on pads yet, and that matters for a player whose game is built more around blocking and physical work than flashy production in the passing game.
OTAs and minicamp tend to reward technique and timing, while physical tight ends often look better once the contact ramps up. Sims may still have a chance to look much different when camp gets rolling.
But the Dolphins are counting on more than “maybe later.” They want Sims to become a dependable No. 2 tight end, and if he doesn’t show real progress, Jon-Eric Sullivan may have to go shopping again. That could mean a free agent or even a trade.
Miami did draft two tight ends in April, but that doesn’t solve everything. Tight end is not a position that comes easy, and the rookies don’t have Sims’ experience. That gives him a real opening - one he needs to seize.
The problem is that his NFL résumé hasn’t exactly screamed “everydown contributor.” In his two seasons with the Packers, Sims played only 21% of the offensive snaps, which was a career high in 2024. That number then dipped to 18% with the Vikings last season.
If Sims doesn’t hold up his end, the alternatives are there, even if they’re not ideal. Sullivan could look at former Dolphin Jonnu Smith, though that seems unlikely. More realistically, he could explore a veteran such as Zach Ertz or Will Dissly, but the market beyond that gets thin fast.
For now, the door is still open for Sims. He just hasn’t done much yet to make Miami feel comfortable leaving it that way.
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