Throughout the course of training camp and the preseason, all of the reports out of South Florida raved about veteran tight end Nick O’Leary, who was having a great showing as a pass catcher and was the cream of the crop in the tight end room. He was consistent, he was reliable — and now, just a few months later, he’s been cut.
O’Leary, a Florida State product, was always going to have his limitations as a player. He’s more of a move piece tight end as compared to someone who can reliably set the edge in the run game with his hand in the dirt. His catch radius isn’t particularly large either, given his lack of wingspan and the size of his hands. As a matter of fact, according to MockDraftable.com — a website committed to historical context of NFL Combine measurements of players at their respective positions — O’Leary is about as limited of an athlete as you’ll find at tight end. He’s in the bottom 25% of just about every test available.
Which makes O’Leary’s career in the NFL all that much more impressive, even if it is now over with Miami. O’Leary was tough, he was smart and he had just enough physicality to execute his role as a supplementary tight end.
It’s hard to say how much O’Leary’s drop on Monday night versus Pittsburgh (which careened into the air for Minkah Fitzpatrick’s first interception of the night) played into the decision, but the production across Miami’s first 7 games certainly tells a story: he logged 4 receptions for 37 yards.
The Dolphins’ 2019 season is all about evaluation. And in deciding to cut O’Leary halfway through the year, it’s clear the Dolphins have seen enough and unfortunately don’t see a long-term role for him on the Dolphins’ roster.
