Time is a valuable thing, and that’s what the Miami Dolphins will need to organize its crowded running back room. On Saturday night, the Dolphins gave carries to Myles Gaskin, Sony Michel, Salvon Ahmed, Gerrid Doaks, and Za’Quandre White. Of all the carriers, Myles Gaskin was the leading running back with four carries for 27 yards. Unfortunately, the remaining four running backs combined for -3 rushing yards.

We witnessed the first carry for Sony Michel, which was an exciting addition to an already talented running back room. The Super Bowl champion showed some nice cutting ability but was limited to the holes made by Miami’s number two offensive line. It remains to be seen if Michel can solidify himself as a possible short-yardage back. Sony Michel is the only Dolphins running back that has posted over 900 yards rushing in a single season. McDaniel already has experience designing multiple-headed running games. In 2019, the 49ers split carries between Raheem Mostert, Matt Breida, and Tevin Coleman. The 49ers ranked second that year with 144.1 average rushing yards per game. A healthy Raheem Mostert leading the way would breathe life into a previously stagnant running game.

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Head Coach Mike McDaniel will have another opportunity next weekend to experiment with his tandem of running backs. Still, the consensus seems to be that Chase Edmonds and Raheem Mostert will be Miami’s one-two punch. Running back, Myles Gaskin does have a certain edge on the three backs ahead of him, and that is availability. Myles was healthy and ready for all 17 of Miami’s games last year and is a dependable receiving option. I expect McDaniel to continue and test Gaskin in specific 3rd down scenarios, where his pass-catching ability becomes an advantage. McDaniel will still need to determine who Miami’s blocking back will be. Sony Michel is most likely the candidate to take on the pass protection role for Miami. Michel is the highest-graded pass-blocking back that the Dolphins currently have on the roster. The Dolphins have struggled to find a pass protection back, but this may be enough for Michel to cement himself as third in snaps played.

Running backs: Ahmed, Doaks, and White will have to compete for a 53-man roster spot but would all provide practice squad depth. It’s genuinely nice to see a competitive group of running backs in Miami, something that hasn’t been seen in a long time. Mike McDaniel has made it his goal to revitalize Miami’s 30th-ranked rushing game that averaged 3.6 yards a carry last year. We’ll see the Dolphins’ rushing game on Saturday as they take on the Raiders in Miami.