Last year this time, there was a great deal of speculation that the Miami Dolphins will have a major weakness in the running back position heading into the season. After the season concluded and the dust settled, Miami discovered they had two explosive running backs who, when healthy and on the field were as explosive as any running backs in the entire league.
Let’s start with Raheem Mostert, who was the top rusher on the Miami Dolphins in 2023. He led the Dolphins in rushing attempts with 209 for 1,012 rushing yards, averaging 4.8 yards per carry. He also scored an unbelievable 18 touchdowns on the ground, and only lost one fumble.
Additionally, he caught 25 passes for 175 yards and three touchdowns. All told that’s 21 touchdowns for a 32-year-old running back who has played for five teams since 2015.
There is no reason to believe he cannot have another good season in this high-powered Miami offense.
Even if he doesn’t equal the number of touchdowns as last season, I can see roughly the same number of yards and believe the yard per carry will also increase.
It has never been about performance, being a great teammate, or being a player who cares a lot about his community, which has been the question surrounding Mostert’s entire career. It has always been whether he can stay on the field.
He has missed some significant games, including one against the Bills in the 2022 playoffs. In 2023 he missed weeks 17 and 18 of the regular season and was less than 100% in the playoff loss to Kansas City.
Devon Achane was lightning in a bottle in 2023 for Miami, racking up 103 carries for 800 yards and eight touchdowns at a remarkable 7.8 yards per carry.
In addition, he caught 27 passes for 197 yards and three touchdowns while only losing one fumble.
All this while only playing in 11 games. Really, ten games and a couple of plays of another.
He has the same question as Raheem Mostert: can he stay on the field? Following a knee injury in week five against the Giants, Achane was placed on injured reserve on October 11, 2023, after sitting out the first game against the Chargers. It was on November 18 that he was activated from the reserve.
There are reports from camp that he has bulked up quite a bit. This young man’s sky is the limit, and I hope he can stay healthy for the 2024 season.
Jaylen Wright enters the NFL as a strong and balanced runner. Aside from his speed, he also forced 39 missed tackles in 2023 alone while playing in the SEC at Tennessee.
Watching him make decisions, he can get skinny into the hole and burst to the second level. With excellent contact balance, he’s agile and can keep his feet churning despite taking hits. As I see in his film, he has matured from a guy who relied almost entirely on speed during his early carries at Tennessee and would bounce everything outside to a far more patient player who still knows where the accelerator is but has refined his craft.
He has soft hands as a receiver and ranked 23rd in YAC for running backs across college football in 2023. Aside from that, he shows a real knack for pass protection, can keep his eyes open, sinks his hips before delivering blows, and senses where the pressure is coming from so you can keep him on the field for all three downs. While Wright had four fumbles in 2022, he seemed to improve markedly last season, coughing it up just once.
Behind the top 3, and depending on how many running backs they keep, it’s really a crap shoot. Jeff Wilson has some power in his game, and he took a pay cut earlier this offseason. McDaniel has some confidence in him since he is a trusted veteran.
He carried the ball 41 times for 188 yards with a 4.6-yard per-carry average and no touchdowns last year.
After getting injured, Salvon Ahmed played in only eight games and carried the ball 22 times for 61 yards before he sustained a season-ending injury.
Chris Brooks appeared to be a man on a mission when he was on the field for a limited time. With 19 carries for 106 yards rushing, he averaged 5.58 yards per carry he proved his worth when he did get an opportunity.
Raheem Mostert and De’Von Achane are clearly the top dogs in the Dolphins’ running game after both players had extremely efficient seasons in 2023 as they led the team’s rushing attack.
The veteran Jeff Wilson may be on the outside looking in, while Wright is likely to start as the third on the depth chart to open the season.
In addition, Mostert nor Achane have proven themselves to be workhorses, so Wright may receive opportunities sooner than expected, especially because of injuries that forced Achane and Mostert to miss a considerable amount of time in recent years.
In light of that, Mostert, Achane, and Wright all possess impressive levels of explosiveness; it may very well be possible for head coach Mike McDaniel to use each back interchangeably in his scheme. The running back position is in great shape unless injuries plague this position group again in 2024.
YAHOO FANTASY: Does Miami Have a RB Conundrum with Achane and Mostert?
