Grateful RB Walton has made the most of his second chance
DAVIE — The football field has usually been Mark Walton’s place of refuge from his personal pain and frustration because no matter how hard the opponent hits the Miami Dolphins tailback, it wasn’t harder than life has.
That’s what happens when you discover your father was murdered at the age of 7, and when you watch your grandmother and older brother die during your teenage years.
Or when complications force the early birth of your daughter, Ma’Lani Nicole, who had to spent weeks in a hospital after being born.
Not long after, Walton’s mother — Kimberly Rogers — suffered a stroke in 2017, and died due to complications from it.
That’s a lot for a 22-year-old to handle.
“I think one of his greatest strengths is his toughness,” Dolphins offensive coordinator Chad O’Shea said of Walton on Tuesday. “I think both physically and mentally I see a very tough player and person.”
You’d have to be to endure all that pain while becoming a standout performer at the University of Miami, where Walton rushed for 2,006 yards and scored 28 touchdowns in three seasons.
The Cincinnati Bengals selected Walton in the fourth round of the 2018 NFL draft
despite him only playing four games in his final college season because of an ankle injury.
Walton played mostly on special teams during his rookie season with Cincinnati, but the Bengals released him in March shortly after he was arrested three separate times in the first few months of the year.
In March, Walton was charged with reckless driving, marijuana possession and carrying a concealed weapon.
Walton was also arrested in February on a battery charge after police said he got into an argument about a parking situation, and there was a marijuana possession charge in January.
The charges were dismissed or pleaded out, and Walton received six months probation in September, with the possibility his sentence could be reduced to three months in a negotiated resolution.
“I thank God for this situation cause I was down low,” Walton said, referring to the months he spent unemployed as his agent tried to get teams to give him a workout.
The Dolphins had Walton participate in their rookie camp and signed him shortly after with the vision of him competing for a spot on the 53-man regular-season roster.
Walton didn’t just make the team. He’s taken the starting role from Kalen Ballage and Kenyan Drake, rising up from third stringer on the depth chart after four games.
“The Dolphins brought me back in the league. I couldn’t have been more down on myself than that,” Walton said of his offseason ordeal. “I was down at that moment, but with time I’m up again. It’s proof there’s a God above.”
And proof second chances do pay off. The Dolphins offense finally passed the 100-yard rushing mark in Sunday’s 31-21 loss to a stingy Bills defense.
The Dolphins gained 109 yards on 30 carries and scored two rushing touchdowns. Walton, whose 4.6 yards per carry average leads the team, was responsible for 66 of those yards. His steady performance the past three games explains why Miami’s coaches view him as the new focal point for the offense.
“I think it’s clear to anyone who watches,” coach Brian Flores said in an emphatic endorsement of Walton. “If you’re a Dolphins fan, you want to see Mark Walton get the football a little bit more.”
The Dolphins offensive linemen praise Walton for his ability to find running lanes, the creases they open between tackles.
Flores said Walton’s small stature — he’s 5 foot 10, 200 pounds — allows him to hide behind his blockers until it’s too late for defenders because yards have already been gained.
Walton’s the type of runner who allows the offense to stay on schedule because he shortens the distance needed to convert on third downs, which explains why Miami has shown slight improvement in that area — converting 10-of-27 third-down opportunities — during his two starts.