As a former walk-on at UCLA, Greg Dulcich knows about biding his time, making the most of his chances when he gets them and believing in himself regardless of the situation.
His time at UCLA equated to a third-round selection with the Denver Broncos in 2022, but the going's hardly been easy since Dulcich joined the NFL ranks.
Perhaps a similar road is winding in front of him, as he's dealt with injuries, an array of uniforms and might well have found himself finally able to fulfill his potential as a top target tight end.
"You got to know the player that you are," Dulcich said, via team transcript, this past week, comparing his time as a walk-on with the Bruins particularly to his time spent last year as a member of the Dolphins practice squad. "You got to keep that confidence, and when you get your opportunities, you just got to take them. So been very fortunate and certainly grateful for the opportunities that I've had."
Over his last two seasons at UCLA from 2020-2021, Dulcich racked up 68 receptions for 1,242 yards, 10 touchdowns and averaged 18.3 yards per catch. The latter statistic is no doubt the one that jumps out most. The long-locked Southern California native's big-play potential is among the best in the NFL at the tight end position.
The looming question is can he fulfill that potential on a consistent basis if he gets the playing time and targets.
Over his first two seasons with Denver, Dulcich played in a combined 12 games. He made his way to the New York Giants in during the 2024 season, but played in just nine total games for the Broncos and Big Blue in that campaign.
Eventually heading south to Miami in 2025, Dulcich didn't play his first game of the season until Week 8 and didn't see a target until the following week. Over the final nine games of the season, Dulcich tallied 26 catches for 335 yards and a score while averaging 12.9 yards per catch. His sustained production down the stretch resulted in him getting re-signed to a rebuilding Dolphins squad under a new regime.
One of the leaders of the new regime, general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan, is on the record that he views Dulcich as a breakout candidate.
Though Dulcich's time last year was spent catching balls from Tua Tagovailoa and Quinn Ewers, it's his quick chemistry with Malik Willis that's carried the offseason buzz through organized team activities.
The two are 2020 draftmates, with Dulcich taken 80th overall and Willis falling to the Tennessee Titans six picks later in the third round. Previoulsy, had shared the same field at the Senior Bowl, Dulcich easily growing to appreciate the strong arm flexed by his quarterback.
"We played at the Senior Bowl together. We had that little connection which was cool, and when you got a great quarterback like Malik, he does a good job of learning everyone's tendencies really quickly," Dulcich said. "He knows how you're going to run a route just because he's got great football IQ and he's a great player."
It's not arduous to draw parallels between Willis, 27, and Dulcich, 26.
Taken within six picks of each other in the third round of the 2022 draft, Liberty product Willis and UCLA alum Dulcich are each on their third NFL teams, both having showcased enough impressive play in limited opportunities last season to garner larger opportunities with the Dolphins in 2026.
"He could always rip it, so that's similar," Dulcich said of how Willis at the Senior Bowl compares to Willis in Miami. "Yeah, that's the same sort of stuff, and he's always had that confidence and swagger so yeah, it's cool."
In two seasons under Matt LaFleur with the Green Bay Packers, Willis resurrected his career when called on to fill in for Jordan Love.
He signed a three-year, $67.5 million deal to join the Dolphins and captain them through the rough waters ahead, a product of taking on a tidal wave of dead money after releasing Tagovailoa.
Second – or third chances – aren't foreign for this Dolphins roster, which is facing low expectations from outside the building for the season ahead. That's fine by Dulcich, the former walk-on looking to walk tall and make the most of his and Willis' opportunity.
"We got some pieces, man," Dulcich said. "I'm excited about it. We got guys that can go. I alluded to it earlier, everyone's hungry and just excited to go out there and fly around and make plays."
Miami kicks off the 2026 season Sept. 13 at the Las Vegas Raiders.
