With Raheem Mostert's Release It's Jaylen Wright's Time to Shine

The departure of Raheem Mostert marks the end of the first era of the Mike McDaniel regime. On Friday, Mostert’s agent, Brett Tessler, tweeted that his client was informed by the team that he would be released. The 32-year-old running back was one of the first major additions the Dolphins made under McDaniel’s watch in 2022 and brought with him a familiarity with McDaniel’s system as well as game-changing speed.

In his first year in Miami Mostert put up a respectable 891 yards on 181 carries for a 4.9 average and 3 touchdowns but it wouldn’t be until the next season where he really broke out. In 2023 he had career highs in attempts (209), yards (1,012), and touchdowns with 18 on the ground and 3 through the air. The stellar performance earned him his first Pro Bowl selection. It is a testament to the job running backs coach Eric Studesville has done.

Unfortunately, 2024 wasn’t so kind to Mostert as he struggled with injuries and a reduced role with the emergence of second-year running back De’Von Achane. He would only rush for 278 yards and had a career-low 3.3 yards per carry. Some of the reduced production can, of course, be chalked up to the lackluster performance of the offensive line compounded with the absence of Tua Tagovailoa, allowing defenses to focus on stopping the run with little fear of being beaten through the air.

With such a down year the writing was seemingly on the wall. Additionally the Dolphins running back room was noticeably crowded this season with fellow former 49er Jeff Wilson Jr. seeing little playing time despite showing flashes of talent in previous seasons and rookie 4th round pick Jaylen Wright being criminally under utilized. With Mostert leaving it should free up some carries for Wright.

Coming into the season, the hype surrounding Wright was huge. The Tennessee product impressed at the NFL combine, running a 4.38 40-yard dash. His incredible time clearly caught the attention of McDaniel and general manager Chris Grier, who traded up with the Philadelphia Eagles to select him in the fourth round of the 2024 draft. That excitement was short-lived for Dolphins fans, as Wright rarely saw the field as a rookie.

In 13 games, Wright only managed to rush for 249 yards on 68 carries for a 3.6-yard per carry average. His best performance came in a 15-10 victory over the New England Patriots, where he rushed for 86 yards on 13 carries. Those 13 carries would be his highest usage by far, as the Dolphins somewhat perplexingly refused to use him. Monster’s release should allow Wright an opportunity to make good on the hype that he came into the league with. He possesses a similar skill set and should have the opportunity to fight for the backup spot behind Achane this upcoming season. If he is as good as many Dolphins fans thought he could be coming into 2024, then this could be the beginning of a new era.

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