RUNNING BACKS
heem Mostert, the overnight star of the NFC champion San Francisco 49ers.
They’re together again, but this time as adversaries in Super Bowl 54.
You might be thinking: How?
A half-decade ago, neither seemed to have much business being in the league, let alone playing big roles on the game’s grandest stage.
But for Dolphins fans, it’s a story all-too familiar: Talented players who were misused (if used at all) in Miami and went on to great things after their time here.
They weren’t the Dolphins’ first, second, or even third options on the ground. This was a team with Lamar Miller, Jay Ajayi, and Jonas Gray.
Ajayi and Gray won Super Bowls elsewhere. Williams or Mostert will join the club on Sunday.
They’ve taken the long road to get here.
Williams — who had 711 yards from scrimmage with seven touchdowns this year — got his shot when Kansas City parted ways with Kareem Hunt late in the 2018 season due to a domesticviolence incident.
But Mostert? His big moment is even more improbable — and recent.
Six teams cut him in his first two season, and he’s still listed as the No. 3 running back on the Niners’ depth chart, behind Matt Breida and Tevin Coleman. But when Coleman went down in the NFC title game with a shoulder injury, Mostert got the ball. And did incredible things.
More than a week ago against the Packers, he became the first player in NFL history to rush for more than 200 yards and four touchdowns in a playoff game. Mostert put up Jim Brown numbers. That’s incredible, considering he wasn’t even the Jim Brown of his own college team.
“I came into Purdue as a receiver,” Mostert recalled. “That’s my natural position. I had to make that transition to running back my junior year when we got a new head coach. I made that decision because I wasn’t necessarily getting that opportunity at receiver. I was falling a little bit behind on the depth chart.
“So I just took it into account that I can switch over to running back and try my best from there and get on the field. It clearly worked, because I can finally say I’m about [play in] the Super Bowl . ... I reflect all the time. It’s truly a blessing.”
Mostert’s time in Miami was so brief, you’ll be forgiven if you missed it. He was part of the Dolphins for less than a month and appeared in only one game. Dennis Hickey signed him to be a kickoff returner but apparently saw enough after two returns.
“When he got released, there were numerous people I spoke to in the organization who weren’t happy with the decision,” said Brett Tessler, Mostert’s agent.
Those people have been proven correct.
He has officially made it. Need proof? He was one of 10 49ers players granted a podium at the Opening Night media bonanza, joining stars such as Jimmy Garoppolo, Richard Sherman, George Kittle, and Nick Bosa.
Williams, meanwhile, cut a lower profile Monday, working the floor with his lesser-known teammates among the sea of accredited members of the media.
That’s fine. Just another chip to add to his broad shoulders.
Williams was a solid player in Miami but admittedly needed to grow up. An extension wasn’t a priority for the Dolphins when his contract came up, and he has an idea why.
“It’s all a scenery thing,” he said.
“I was able to leave here. Going to Kansas City, you don’t have as many distractions . ... I let certain things distract me from [being] a great football player.”
He added: “At the end of the day, I’m a football player. I give my heart to where I am. It hurt. I take those things, I put them in a box, I move forward and I keep playing hard. I’ll go back and open up that box and reminisce. It’s a steppingstone.”
Adam H. Beasley: 305-376-2387, @AdamHBeasley