Dolphins place RB Gaskin on IR
The knee injury Myles Gaskin suffered in last Sunday’ s 28-17 win over the Los Angeles Rams landed the tail back on the injured reserve list, and the Miami Dolphins are using this week’ s practice to determine who will replace him as the team’s starter.
The problem is two of Miami’s other tail backs—Matt B reid a and Patrick Laird—are also nursing injuries that have limited their practice participation and could hinder their performance in Sunday’s road game against the Arizona Cardinals (5-2).
Complicating matters is that DeAndre Washington, the tail back Miami acquired in a trade with the Kansas City Chief son Tuesday for a swap of 2021 sixth-and seventh round picks, won’t be available for Sunday’ s game because of the NFL’s COVID-19 rules, which require a player have five negative tests before he can join his new team.
That leaves Jordan Howard, a fifth-year veteran who has started 50 games in his NFL career, and Salvon Amhed, a undrafted rookie from Washington, as the team’s only healthy tailbacks heading into Sunday’s game.
“We’ve got guys bangedup,” coach Brian Flores said addressing Miami’s tailback crisis.
“Jordan Howard, he’s always practiced hard,” Flores said, referring to the 2016Pro Bowl selection Miami signed to a two-year deal worth $9.75 million.
Howard, who has rushed for a 1,000 or more yards twice in his short career, struggled early this season, gaining 14 yards and scoring three touchdowns on 18 carries before Miami made him inactive for the past three games. When Gaskine merged, Miami shifted the offense to a spread set that didn’t suit Howard.
“I think he’s a good runner that’s why we brought him here. He’ll get an opportunity. Salvon Ahmed and Patrick Laird will get an opportunity,” Flores said. “They’ll practice well, and hopefully they’ll perform well in the game.”
Even with a healthy stable of running backs, the Dolphins were having issues running the football.
Miami has gained 686 yards and scored seven rushing touchdown son 190 carries in the first seven games.
Miami ranks next to last in the NFL when it comes to yards per carry (3.6 per attempt) and 28th in rushing yards per game (98.0).
Gaskin, who leads the Dolphins with 387 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns on the 100 carries he handled the past seven games, sprained the medial collateral ligament in one of his knees against the Rams and will miss at least the next four games if he’s designated to return from injured reserve. It’s unclear whether he had a surgical procedure, which could force him to miss more games.
Brieda, a fourth-year veteran the Dolphins acquired via trade during last year’s NFL draft, is nursing a hamstring injury that kept him from practicing the past two days.
He’s second on the team in rushing attempts after gaining 128 yards on 37 carries. Breida has also caught seven passes for 79 yards this season, but hasn’t blossomed in Miami’s offense.
Laird, who injured an ankle on special-team duties last week, hasn’t handled a carry this season. But he’s gained 11 yards on three catches. Last season, Laird gained 168 yards and scored one touchdown on 62 carries. The former California standout who made the team as an undrafted rookie also caught 23 of 30 passes thrown his way, contributing 204 receiving yards. But he’s viewed more as a third-down back.
Ahmed spent most of his collegiate career as Gaskin’s backup at Washington, but he gained 1,020 rushing yards and scored 11 touchdowns on 188 carries in his final collegiate season.
The Dolphins also have two other players— receivers Malcolm Perry and Lynn Bowden Jr. — who have experience carrying the football. Both rookies played quarterback at their colleges and were effective scramblers. Perry rushed for 3,359 yards during his four seasons at Navy, wherehe ran an option-based offense, and Bowden Jr. gained 1,468 rushing yards and scored 13 rushing touchdowns while filling in as an emergency quarterback for Kentucky last season.
The Dolphins have been trying to incorporate both rookies into the passing game — developing them as slot receivers — but they have each handled carries for Miami this season, primarily working in the Dolphins’ Wildcat package, which might be expanded this week out of necessity.