2nd preseason game should help sort out RB rotation
MIAMI GARDENS — Miami Dolphins fans and fantasy football owners alike will be interested in what comes of the Dolphins’ preseason game against the Atlanta Falcons at Hard Rock Stadium on Saturday night.
Prime among matters that will come to light — or at least offer an inkling of a preview for the regular season — is the Dolphins’ running back usage and the rotation between Myles Gaskin, Malcolm Brown and Salvon Ahmed.
Dolphins coach Brian Flores will be deciding how long veterans and starters will play in the second of three exhibition contests, which kicks off at 7 p.m. Normally, in years where there are four preseason games, there’s a playing-time buildup to the third and penultimate preseason game before the fourth is primarily reserved for end-of-the-roster players and training-camp longshots.
The widespread thought in Miami’s backfield is that Gaskin, who led Miami’s backs in 2020 going for 584 yards rushing and 388 receiving and five total touchdowns in 10 games and seven starts, should lead the Dolphins in touches again.
Flores, however, made the intriguing decision to start Brown, the 28-year-old free-agent acquisition who had 100 carries for the first time in his career last year with the Los Angeles Rams, in last
week’s preseason opener at the Chicago Bears.
“We like all the backs,” Flores said this week. “They all bring something a little different. Malcolm is a little bit bigger, has more what you may consider a power back. Myles, kind of a change of pace, good quickness, can get out of the backfield in the passing game. Salvon has got good speed and can get out of the backfield. A lot of different qualities. I thought they all played well in the preseason game.”
Brown, the 225-pound back, didn’t make the most of his starting opportunity, running for 8 yards on nine carries. He had back-to-back attempts to punch in a touchdown at the Bears’ 1-yard line and was stuffed for no gain and then a loss of 2 — that after he excelled by the
goal line against Chicago in their joint practices.
Gaskin averaged just under 5 yards per carry, 19 on four attempts, but the most impressive game
came from his fellow Washington alum, Ahmed. Ahmed ran for 40
yards on six carries, including the team’s longest run of 20, and had Miami’s lone touchdown, a 23-yard reception thrown by Jacoby Brissett on a wheel route.
“There’s a lot of guys in that room that can go out there and make
plays,” Ahmed said. “Everybody on Saturday was able to go out there and make plays. Credit to the offensive line, as well, going out there and opening holes for us. They open holes and we have to do our job.”
Flores seems to value the skill set of each and won’t lean on any one of them, deciding running back usage based on matchups and situations.
“We have the ability to move those chess pieces, and each guy has shown themselves to be dependable when they’ve been in there,” he said.