One of the key components to Miami Dolphins head coach Adam Gase’s offenses in the past has been the tight end position. Largely due to injury and ineffectiveness, Gase’s first year with the Dolphins did not see the level of production from tight ends that his offenses with the Denver Broncos and the Chicago Bears experienced. As a result, the Dolphins are welcoming a new pair of tight ends to the team when training camp opens later this month.

Julius Thomas comes to Miami after an injury-plagued tenure with the Jacksonville Jaguars. Thomas played in only nine games in 2016, making 30 catches for 281 yards and four touchdowns. Those are small numbers when compared to the gaudy statistics Thomas put up in 2013 and 2014 under Adam Gase, then the Denver Broncos offensive coordinator.

The 6-5, 256-pound Thomas will look to regain the Pro Bowl form he demonstrated playing in Denver. Over the course of those two seasons, Thomas racked up 108 receptions, 1,277 yards, 24 touchdowns, and two Pro Bowl selections. Thomas has already started to fit in with the Dolphins and his familiarity with the offense should provide for a seamless transition to Miami.

Another offseason arrival for the Dolphins is a returning player. Anthony Fasano signed a one-year $3 million contract last March, returning to the team where the 33-year-old tight end some of his best seasons.

With Miami from 2008 to 2012, Fasano averaged 35 receptions and 420 yards over those five seasons and caught 23 touchdowns during his Dolphins career. At 6-4, 258 pounds, Fasano is still considered one of the league’s best run-blocking tight ends. The sure-handed Fasano enters his 12th NFL season as a dependable addition to the tight end group and will certainly mentor the young players around him.

MarQueis Gray began 2016 as a journeyman looking to latch on to a team. But by December, Gray’s play had earned him a new, two-year contract extension with the Dolphins.

Injuries to Jordan Cameron and Dion Sims pushed Gray into service last season, and although his countable stats were meager (174 yards on 14 receptions), those numbers belie Gray’s effect on the running game as an active edge blocker.

Gray is one of the young members of the tight end group that is looking forward to Fasano’s leadership. The 6-4 255-pound versatile tight end went undrafted in 2013 out of the University of Minnesota, where he played quarterback and wide receiver. Gray provides intriguing and athletic depth at tight end should Thomas or Fasano go down with an injury.

Although the Dolphins are unlikely to carry more than three tight ends on the active roster, there are a pair of hopefuls who will push the incumbents ahead of them for a spot on the team.

Thomas Duarte spent the majority of 2016 on Miami’s practice squad, but after a concussion sidelined Dion Sims in November, Duarte was promoted to the active roster.

Duarte was drafted by the Dolphins in 2016 out of UCLA in the seventh-round (231st overall) after a junior year that saw the tight end finish with 53 receptions, 872 yards, and 10 touchdowns. At 6-2 241 pounds, Duarte features the build and skill-set to be a potential playmaker at the position.

Chris Pantale signed a reserve/futures contract with the Dolphins last January. The 6-5 254-pound tight end went undrafted out of Boston College in 2013. He had spent time with the New York Jets, Chicago Bears, and Philadelphia Eagles, seeing the field for only five games with the Jets back in 2014.

Pantale provides some versatility at the tight end position, having also spent time at fullback for both the Jets and Eagles. Pantale comes to Miami with some familiarity with head coach Adam Gase’s offense, having spent the 2015 training camp with the Chicago Bears where Gase was the offensive coordinator at the time.