Who Should I Start? James Hurst or Durham Smythe

Monday, March 4, 10:44 PM

The Athletic's Larry Holder lists New Orleans Saints offensive guard/tackle James Hurst as a potential salary cap casualty this offseason. At the start of the offseason, the Saints sat around $83 million in the red, according to Over the Cap. Hurst and linebacker Demario Davis are the only two players who would give the Saints 2024 salary cap relief of more than $3 million each on their entire roster. Releasing Hurst would free up around $4.2 million, so he's one of the most obvious salary cap casualties for the team. The 32-year-old veteran missed two games in 2023 due to an ankle injury but was New Orleans' starting left tackle when healthy. The 10-year NFL veteran has been with the Saints for the last four seasons after spending the first six years of his career with the Baltimore Ravens.

Tuesday, March 12, 1:14 PM

The Miami Dolphins restructured the contracts of tight end Durham Smythe, fullback Alec Ingold and defensive tackle Zach Sieler on Monday. Coupled with the conversion on cornerback Jalen Ramsey, the Dolphins were able to clear $28.78 million to get under the 2024 salary cap. The 28-year-old Smythe is a blocking first tight end who also served as the team's primary pass-catching tight end in 2023, finishing the year with 35 receptions on 43 targets for 366 yards and no touchdowns. Tight ends haven't been a big part of head coach Mike McDaniels' offense, and there's no reason to expect that to change entering the 2024 season. Smythe should be avoided in most fantasy drafts this fall after the Dolphins added Jonnu Smith to the TE room this offseason.