Durham Smythe – July 29, 2024
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Monday, July 29, 2024
TE Durham Smythe
(So who took a cooler trip in the offseason, you or WR Braxton Berrios?) – “Definitely Braxton (Berrios). Braxton is always going to win that battle. I feel like people around the world know him now. So maybe one of these times I’ll jump on one with him and then I’ll be the winner in that situation but definitely him.”
(Did you get an international trip in?) – “I did. One of my good buddies, Jesse Bongiovi, a roommate of mine in college, Jon’s son, got married in London. So I was over there for a little while, great time.”
(Did Jon Bon Jovi sing at the wedding?) – “No. It’s funny, he’s not really that type of outward guy if he’s at something like that. He wants to kind of lay low, enjoy it, put the spotlight on his son, so that’s kind of how it was.”
(How do you see your role on this team at this point in your career?) – “Yeah, I say this every year – it changes every single year and I’m kind of a good example of that. Over my seven years here, I’ve had a vastly different role every season and that’s kind of what’s happening this time of year. Over the next couple of weeks with pads on, everyone kind of finds their role within this team and that’s something that happens naturally. So we’re still building that and it’ll be fun to finally come across what it is for me, because like I said, it changes every single year.”
(There’s at least three younger guys in the room, what do you see in the younger guys? You’ve got TE Tanner Conner, TE Jody Fortson Jr. and TE Julian Hill – they’re all younger than you, so is there a mentorship thing going on?) – “A little bit. Those are all mature guys, it’s funny, for their age. I feel like at their stages when I was that age, I was not like that. So that’s a testament to them, but as a guy being in this offense for the third year, I have learned things through experience so I’m trying to help them come along with that. This is something that kind of takes time, being comfortable in this offense, so if I can help in any regard there I will. But like I said, those guys are all very mature, go about their business the right way and they’ve all gotten a lot better since I first came across them to this point right now.”
(You’re downplaying yourself because you were one of the most mature rookies that I’ve covered. What have you seen in TE Tanner Conner’s game that has helped him get to where it is right now?) – “Yeah, he’s improved so much over the last two years. But from where he came from, being a wide receiver at a small school in college to now being a full-time tight end in the NFL, that takes time, and he’s made great strides. He’s still an athletic freak. He was when he got here, he still is that. Now he’s way more used to contact, doesn’t shy away from contact. He’s transformed his body a little bit. He’s a lot bigger, so he’s done a lot of things over the last two years to improve while still remaining that physical freak he was when he got here.”
(With TE Julian Hill, what’s the next step for him in his development?) – “I would venture to say that Julian (Hill) might be the most physical tight end in the NFL, across the entire board. I don’t care what year you are, he’s the most physical player I’ve ever played with and he’s a professional. From Day 1, the main thing is the main thing for him, and this is what he cares about. That really sets apart rookies, especially undrafted free agents – some guys who care as much as he does and the sky is the limit for him. Like I said, he’s the most physical guy I’ve ever played with. He’s got talent outside of that, too, that he’s building on as a young player. Really, the sky is the limit for Julian.”
(We’ve heard a lot of the defensive guys talk about how you have to be able to play for every position and they can send different pressures at different times. From y’all’s perspective, how does that challenge the offense?) – “It does. It keeps everyone on their toes and it’s different looks. I think it really expands the offense too. When you have different things that you don’t see on a regular basis, really from every position, and then the offense expands and players’ roles expand.”
(You and TE Jonnu Smith seem like you’re going to be a tandem this year, how do you think your skills complement each other?) – “Right now, roles are still being worked out like I mentioned a second ago. I think really our entire tight end room is an impressive combination of people who complement everyone well. It’s tough to say a tandem or a duo right now, because there’s so many different players in the room right now that are trying to find a role. But I think we have a great combination of guys in the room who are very athletic, guys who are very physical, guys who do a little bit of both. And this coaching staff is great at finding ways of combining guys and their strengths on the field at the same time, so it’ll be fun. It’ll be fun to see who plays off each other, where we play off each other and really, I’m excited for all six guys in the room right now.”
(There was a long game last year of WR Tyreek Hill and WR Jaylen Waddle having a ton of targets and maybe more balance, do you think tight end may be a bigger role in the offense this year?) – “There’s always a chance. It’s funny when you have guys like that on the outside. If they’re open, you want to get them the ball. And obviously, we’ll take a bigger share of the volume if we need to – that’s kind of been my mentality through the last two years with this system. If we’re called upon, we’re going to make the most of the opportunity. But if we’re going to throw a 70-yard bomb to one of those guys, I’ll be happy to protect for them. So it’s really just in this offense, do what you’re asked and then it kind of pays off for itself.”
(What are practices like at this point in camp when pads start coming on?) – “Much better. I am not a big fan of playing football without pads, it doesn’t suit my strengths very well. If I was as fast as Jaylen (Waddle) and Tyreek (Hill), I would love it, but I prefer having pads on. It’s real football. There’s real contact. It’s more what we all know very well. Practices are longer, they are a little tougher with pads on in this heat, but it’s real football and that’s what I like to play.”
(Going back to your comments on TE Julian Hill, how have you seen him kind of harness that physicality where he was Day 1 as a rookie to where he is today?) – “I think one of the things is just tempo, control. He’s always been not one to shy away from contact. He’s always been a very physical person, but there were times early in camp last year, maybe early in the season where he was just out there trying to crush somebody every single time. Maybe half the time he is, maybe half the time he’s missing. Now it’s a tempo thing where he understands when to pull the trigger and he’s not missing a lot, and when he doesn’t miss, he’s making himself felt. So I think it’s something that takes time to get used to with the speed of the game, players’ speed and then he’s definitely understanding that now.
(How do you feel about QB Tua Tagovailoa’s contract?) – “I loved it. I loved it, long time coming obviously. The kid deserves it. I’ve watched him over his entire tenure here go from point A to point B and there was a lot of stuff in between, a lot of steps along the way. I’m proud of him. He’s the right guy to lead this offense and this organization, and he got what he deserved.”
