Brenton Strange

Jaguars Sign Round 2 TE Brenton Strange, Several Others

The Jaguars used their franchise tag on Evan Engram in March, and while the parties have until mid-July to finalize an extension agreement, the team added another tight end in the draft. Brenton Strange, Jacksonville’s second-round pick, agreed to terms on his rookie deal Friday, Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 tweets.

Strange will head to Florida after a career at Penn State. Scouts Inc. slotted the ex-Nittany Lions pass catcher as this draft class’ seventh-ranked tight end. He went to the Jags at No. 61 overall. Jacksonville moved down from its No. 56 overall slot, sliding five spots and picking up a fourth-round pick (No. 136) from Chicago to do so.

In Strange, the Jags will pick up a 253-pound pass catcher who totaled 32 receptions for 362 yards and five touchdowns last season. Strange earned third-team All-Big Ten honors for his senior-year work. This is the highest the Jaguars have drafted a tight end since taking Marcedes Lewis in the 2006 first round.

Prior to Engram’s promising 2022 season, the Jaguars had encountered steady trouble generating much production from the tight end spot. The former Giants first-rounder’s 766 receiving yards represent a franchise single-season record. Engram has said he wants to stay with the Jags on a long-term deal, but the sides were not believed to be close on terms yet. If Engram does not sign by July 17, he will play the 2023 season on the franchise tag.

In addition to Strange, the Jags also inked third-round running back Tank Bigsby (Auburn) to his four-year rookie contract. They also signed fourth-round linebacker Ventrell Miller (Florida), sixth-round cornerbacks Christian Braswell (Rutgers) and Erick Hallett (Pittsburgh), seventh-round offensive lineman Cooper Hodges (Appalachian State) and seventh-round defensive tackle Raymond Vohasek (North Carolina). The Jags began their rookie minicamp Friday.

Dolphins Notes: Draft, Trades, TEs, Hill

With only four picks in this year’s draft (and none in the top 50), the Dolphins have received less attention than many other teams in the build-up to next week’s event. They, like their counterparts, have continued to do their homework on positions of need, however.

That includes taking a look at several tight end options, as detailed by Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. The Dolphins have met with Georgia alum Darnell Washington, who has been one of the more popular prospects at the position and is likely to be off the board by the time Miami is on the clock at No. 51. Other options they have looked into include Tucker Kraft (South Dakota State), Sam LaPorta (Iowa), Brenton Strange (Penn State) and Luke Musgrave (Oregon State). The Dolphins are in need of a Mike Gesicki replacement after the veteran had a underwhelming 2022 campaign and departed in free agency.

Another spot which is receiving plenty of attention, per Jackson, is the interior offensive line. Miami has “given serious thought” to drafting a guard, and the position will be a target for undrafted free agents as well. The Dolphins’ o-line faces questions heading into the 2023 season, but Austin Jackson‘s future appears to remain at right tackle. Keeping him at that spot would create the need for at least a depth addition or two along the interior this spring.

Here are some other notes out of South Beach:

  • Given their lack of draft capital, the Dolphins would not represent a strong candidate to trade up. However, a number of teams have called them to discuss the possibility of moving into the first round, as noted (on Twitter) by Outkick’s Armando Salguero. With the Dolphins only owning one third-round pick in 2023 after No. 51, along with one sixth- and seventh-rounder, a package including 2024 picks would be needed for such a scenario to take place. As a result, it remains unlikely at this point that Miami will be involved on Day 1 next week.
  • Part of the reason the team is short on picks, of course, is the price they paid for Tyreek Hill. The four-time All-Pro wideout signed a four-year, $120MM deal upon his arrival in Miami, something which was driven in large part by the changes in the position’s market. As Hill recently acknowledged on a podcast appearance on Sports Radio 810 WHB, the lucrative nature of Christian Kirk‘s Jaguars pact (four years, $72MM) influenced his asking price. “He signed the deal and like he surpassed me, and I’m like, bro, I compete on the field, and I also compete on the business out of this, too,” Hill said. “So, I’m not going to let Christian Kirk have a higher contract than me. I’m just not” (h/t Pro Football Talk’s Charean Williams).
  • Given their situation with only four picks, Miami is in line to be active on the UDFA market following the draft. As Jackson writes, the team could be eyeing a kicker addition to serve as competition during OTAs and training camp. Jason Sanders as been in place as the team’s kicker since being drafted in 2018, and has remained consistent from short and medium range during his tenure. Sanders has gone just 2-for-6 on kicks of 50 or more yards in each of the past two campaigns, however, which could open the door to a strong-legged rookie making an impact in the summer.