Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Crowded backfield reinforces Miami’s commitment to run
MIAMI GARDENS — There’s a reason the knife set in our kitchens has a wide range of cutting utensils.
It’s because every knife serves a specific purpose, and their use should be catered to those needs.
Think of the Miami Dolphins’ crowded backfield the same way.
Raheem Mostert should be the speedster to takes an outside run the distance. Sony Michel is the inside running specialist who can move the chains, and Chase Edmonds is the pass-catching weapon who routinely goes into motion, getting moved all over the field.
All serve their purpose, and all are needed because new Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel hopes to use his stable of backs to build one of the NFL’s most efficient rushing attacks, a ground game that’s potentially a throwback to the ground-and-pound era of football that he grew up in in the late 90s.
At least that’s what it sounds like the Dolphins aim to do, and it hasn’t just been talk considering the team’s acquisitions have backed up Miami’s goal of beefing up the rushing attack.
Earlier this week Miami added Michel, a former American Heritage standout who has started 35 NFL games in four seasons with the New England Patriots and Los Angeles Rams, to an already crowded backfield.
Michel becomes the third veteran running back added this offseason, joining Edmonds, who signed a two-year, $12.4 million deal during the first day of free agency, and Mostert, who signed a one-year, $3.1 million deal to reunite with
McDaniel, who coached him with the 49ers.
Those three join a unit that already featured Myles Gaskin, who started 17 games the past two seasons, Salvon Ahmed, who started four games in 2020, and Gerrid Doaks, a 2021 seventh-round pick, as the holdovers from the 2021 season, where Miami finished 30th in rushing yards per game (92.2), and 31st in yards per carry (3.5).
Considering last year was the third
straight season the Dolphins have had a bottom-five rushing attack in yards per attempt, maybe a massive overhaul, which included the addition of Pro Bowl left tackle Terron Armstead and veteran guard Connor Williams to beef up the offensive line, was needed.
“We’ve added a lot of speed to that room,” said tailback coach Eric Studesville, who is coaching for his third Dolphins coach, considering his career in Miami began with Adam Gase, carried over to Brian Flores. “We’ve got guys that can run. Myles is fast and Salvon is fast. These guys may be faster.”
Studesville is referring to Mostert, who missed all but one game last season because of a knee injury he suffered in the 49ers season opener, and Edmonds, who produced a career-high 903 rushing and receiving yards last season for the Arizona Cardinals, which primarily used him as a thirddown, change-of-pace back to complement James Connor.
“Chase brings speed, he brings experience,” Studesville said. “He brings a toughness.”
If healthy, Mostert potentially brings all three to the Dolphins offense.
The Dolphins offensive line has been watching old 49ers film to study the run game concepts McDaniel hopes to utilize, and offensive guard Robert Hunt claims he’s never seen a tailback hit a hole faster than Mostert, who has been clocked as one of the NFL’s fastest players in actual game speed during his tenure as the 49ers starter.
So how will the rotation, and roles shake out?
“You create a competitive environment and you let those guys go sort it out,” Studesville said. “They’re going to sort it out as to who contributes, where, and how, and how much.”
It would be a mistake to overlook Gaskin, who gained a career-high 612 rushing yards and scored three rushing touchdowns on 173 carries, considering the 2019 seventh-round pick beat out Kenyan Drake, Jordan Howard and Matt Breida — the 49ers’ leading rusher in 2018 — to win the starting spot in the 2020 season.
That season Gaskin was one of the top yardage producers per game in the NFL, averaging 97.2 yards a contest, which ranked him 10th among NFL tailbacks. If he hadn’t been sidelined by a knee injury that season there was potential for him to do more.
Gaskin has always had a grinder’s approach to his job, consistently doing all the little things that lead to success. So casting him aside would be a mistake.
“He’s going to try to under-promise and over-deliver,” Studesvile said.
Then there’s Michel, the most accomplished of all the tailbacks considering he’s accounted for 3,137 rushing yards on 743 carries, caught 47 receptions for 386 yards and scored 20 touchdowns in his NFL career.
Michel fills an important void for the Dolphins considering he’s an effective inside runner, who combines vision, burst, and physicality to create a no-nonsense, north-south running style. Those types of players come in handy during third-and-short opportunities and running in the red zone and at the goal line.
“The greatest thing about being in Miami is players want to come here and be a part of it,” offensive coordinator Frank Smith said about discussing Michel’s signing. “We’ve been really fortunate through the process about how many guys envision themselves here, and fit with us.”
Let’s hope the newcomers, and the holdovers mesh well together, and are able to perk up the Dolphins’ once-stagnant rushing attack, bringing balance to Miami’s offense.