RB Ajayi looks to build on success

Questions persist about future of offensive line

DAVIE — As he looks toward next season, Jay Ajayi hopes to pick up where he left off and show that he’s no one-hit wonder.

In fact, the Miami Dolphins tailback — who was voted the team’s most valuable player after rushing for 1,272 yards and eight touchdowns in 2016 — is in the process of creating a clothing brand called Y.U.R.P., which stands for “Your Unlocked Raw Power.”

The name meshes with what the 2015 fifth-round pick went through during his early NFL tenure. His draft stock tanked because of an old knee injury, he was left home for last year’s opener for disciplinary reasons, and he shared the backfield with four tailbacks before emerging as a Pro Bowler.

“You can chase your dreams and ventures through the ups and downs,” Ajayi said while serving as the featured guest at the Citi Touchdowns for Good football clinic and eating demonstration Thursday at the Dolphins’ facility. “You can still reach your highest potential if you push your mind to it and become self-aware in yourself and find the inner power in you.”

Ajayi, who plans to train with Tony Villani at the XPE Sports Academy in Boca Raton, intends to use the offseason to fine tune areas of his game that are viewed as weaknesses.

His pass blocking was marginal last season, which led to Damien Williams entering the game on critical passing downs. Ajayi also averaged just 5.6 yards on his 27 receptions.

Dolphins General Manager Chris Grier has also said Ajayi could improve his pa-

tience when it comes to finding running lanes.

“I think he’s just scratched the surface of what he can be,” Grier said. “He’ll become more patient in time, and part of it too is the offensive line. The guys have to stay healthy. He’s had to adjust to different guys in there each week.”

Only Ricky Williams has rushed for more yardage in a single season as a Dolphin. However, Miami only rushed for 100 or more yards six times last season, and the Dolphins were held below 100 rushing yards in all seven of their losses (including the playoff game).

“If I can add a little tweak here and there to take my game to a whole other level I’m going to do that,” said Ajayi, who averaged 4.9 yards per carry,

There’s uncertainty about whether all five starters will return on the Dolphins offensive line, which was a catalyst to the team ranking ninth in the league in rushing yards per game (114) and eighth in yards per carry (4.5).

Jermon Bushrod, who started all 16 games at right guard, is a free agent. He struggled with some injuries at the end of the year and turns 33 in August.

The left side of the line could also be unsettled if Miami decides to release Branden Albert, who is slated to make $8.9 million in 2017. Albert, also 32, is an elite linemen when healthy, but he missed four games last season and 13 in his three years with the Dolphins because of various injuries and ailments.

“It’s a huge deal, consistency, having those guys healthy,” Ajayi said when asked about the Dolphins’ offensive line maintaining continuity.

“You were kind of able to see what we can do when we had all three of those guys on the line healthy,” Ajayi said, referring to Albert, guard/ tackle Laremy Tunsil and center Mike Pouncey, the three starters who missed games because of injuries. “The biggest deal for us is to have those guys stay healthy and have great depth behind those guys.”

It is possible that the Dolphins could move on from Albert and Bushrod, shift Tunsil to left tackle and add two younger guards via free agency and the draft to create an offensive line that could grow with Ajayi.

“He wants to be good. He wants to be great. He’s young,” Grier said of Ajayi, who turns 24 in June. “We’re excited for his future, and it’s on us to make sure we keep surrounding him with good players, and keep upgrading the offensive line to make sure he becomes a factor for years to come.”

Ajayi