What Smith Said About Setting Franchise Record

The Miami Dolphins tight end has record-setting day against San Francisco 49ers

Dec 22, 2024; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Miami Dolphins tight end Jonnu Smith (9) runs with the football against the San Francisco 49ers during the third quarter at Hard Rock Stadium. / Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

It was a good day at the office Sunday for Miami Dolphins tight end Jonnu Smith.

Smith set a new team record for tight ends for most receptions and receiving yards in a season with 76 for 802. He finished the game with six receptions for 62 yards when the Dolphins defeated the San Francisco 49ers 29-17 to keep their slim playoff hopes alive.

He eclipsed the former records of 73 catches and 791 yards established by Randy McMichael in 2004. Smith, who has scored six touchdowns, currently is the fourth-leading tight end in terms of receptions in the NFL.

"It’s been an eventful year for me, man, you know what I mean?" Smith said. "From the standpoint of individually obviously, but just from the standpoint of coming in here and kind of going through OTAs and training camp and knowing the plan, but just over exceeding the expectations."

Smith is grateful for the opportunity to have signed with Miami in the offseason. He credits the organization and his teammates for helping him set the record.

"I’ve just got a heart of gratitude right now," he said, "a heart of thankfulness for this entire organization for believing in me, for my teammates, the entire offense, and just trusting in my ability to say, ‘Listen, man, this is a guy that we’ve got to implement on a consistent basis in this offense.'".

Smith also praises to tight ends coach Jon Embree for helping him develop as a player and as a person.

"I talk a lot about – I give a lot of guys credit up here, Tua and Mike (McDaniel), but let me talk about Jon Embree for a minute. ‘Embo’ (Jon Embree) has been such a huge part of this thing right here, man," Smith said. "I had a lot of great coaches. You talk about Arthur Smith, he’s doing his thing over there in Pittsburgh. ‘Embo’ has just taken my game to another level, you know what I mean? Just the standard that he holds me to every day."

Smith, who refers to Embree as an uncle you don't want to let down, reeled off the list of tight ends Embree has had success with over the years.

"Obviously you look at the list of guys that he had, it’s no secret, the type of coach he is. You go from (George) Kittle to Tony Gonzalez, and the list goes on, just Pro Bowlers that he had," Smith said. "Just his belief in me has allowed me to take my game to another level. ‘Embo’ like the OG, like the ‘unc’ (uncle) that you don’t want to let down."

SLOW START, STRONG FINISH FOR JONNU SMITH

Smith, signed in the offseason as a free agent after he was released by the Atlanta Falcons, started off slowly in his first season with the Dolphins, but really has come over the past month and a half.

Through the Dolphins' first nine games, Smith had 33 catches and two outings with at least six receptions. In the past six games, Smith has 43 receptions and five games with at least six catches, including his season-high 10-catch game against the Green Bay Packers on Thanksgiving night.

Furthermore, five of his six touchdowns have come during those last six games.

"I think that it’s really cool to watch him," head coach Mike McDaniel said after the game Sunday. "It’s not like Jonnu started off with a ton of numbers like Week 1. I know his first touchdown was (in Week 7 at) Indy, I believe. I know he said I gave him one of the game balls after the game. He brought Jon Embree up and said he was the best coach that he’s ever had and just watch those guys jell, figuring out different things, the ways that we can involve him because he impacts the game in a unique way and complements the rest of our players so well because guys are trying to cover a bunch of space and/or eligibles and when they are a little half yard out of position, Jonnu generally makes them pay.

"I think he never blinked at the beginning of the season, and was worried about the right stuff, worried about getting better and being his best. As a result, he’s been a key contributor week in and week out, and I know opposing defenses don’t want us to get him the ball. They’d prefer that. It’s cool to see a lot of guys have success that it wasn’t just handed to them, but they’ve earned through the course of a season in not always ideal circumstances."