Ex-Jets Draft Pick Zack Kuntz Signs With Dolphins

A former New York Jets draft choice has returned to the AFC East.

Tight end Zack Kuntz has signed a deal with the Miami Dolphins. Kuntz’s agency, Equity Sports, announced the news on their social media accounts on Thursday, February 5.

Kuntz, 26, will turn 27 before the start of the 2026 season. He entered the league as the No. 220 overall pick in the seventh round of the 2023 NFL draft.

He spent the first two and a half seasons of his career with the Jets. Ahead of final roster cuts, he was dumped in August of 2025.

Tons of Untapped Potential

Most players who are selected in the final round of the NFL draft don’t make headlines. Kuntz was a special case.

He stands at 6-foot-8 and weighs 251 pounds. The former Penn State and Old Dominion product showed flashes at the collegiate level.

During his college career, he appeared in 39 games. With those opportunities, he collected 88 receptions for 862 receiving yards and scored seven touchdowns.

Ahead of the NFL draft, Kuntz dominated at the annual NFL scouting combine.

He ran a 4.55 40-yard dash, a 1.57 10-yard split, had a 40″ vertical jump, 10’8″ broad jump, 6.87 3-cone drill, 4.12 20-yard shuttle, and bench pressed 225 pounds 23 times.

“He looks like he was built in a lab. You just don’t see guys that size move like that,” Daniel Jeremiah of the NFL Network said about Kuntz.

“His 84-inch wingspan and 34-inch arms also suggest endless play-calling possibilities near the goal line,” Dane Brugler of The Athletic wrote in his pre-draft profile. “Kuntz is unrefined as a route runner, blocker and pass catcher in traffic, but he has rare size/speed tools waiting to be cultivated. He is a developmental No. 3 tight end.”

NFL draft analyst Lance Zierlein projected him as a fourth to fifth round pick. He ended up falling to the seventh round in 2023.

“Kuntz is expected to light up the NFL Scouting Combine with his speed and athleticism, but he’s not as fluid on tape as you might expect. He needs to keep filling out his extremely long frame, as he plays more like a big receiver than a tight end. His hands are subpar and he’s not strong enough to outwork grabby coverage or win contested catches right now. A team could view him as a Day 3 pick and stash him on the practice squad while he continues to develop,” Zierlein wrote.

Kuntz Hasn’t Been Able to Put It All Together

Despite the immense physical gifts, Kuntz hasn’t taken the next step in his career.

Kuntz, at the NFL level, has appeared in a total of just two games. According to Pro Football Reference, Kuntz has played in a grand total of three offensive snaps and 10 special teams snaps.

If the right coach can ever tap into the obvious talent in his large frame, he could be a star. However, through three seasons, it hasn’t broken through.

When players have the skill set that Kuntz does, NFL teams are going to keep convincing themselves that they will be the one to unlock him. The more talented you are, the more chances you get to prove yourself. A tale as old as time.

Paul Esden Jr. covers the New York Jets for Heavy.com. A New York native, he co-hosts a morning show, “The Manchild Show with Boy Green Digital.” Before joining Heavy in 2021, Esden Jr. covered both national and New York sports for FanSided, Elite Sports NY, and The Score 1260. More about Paul Esden Jr.