South Florida product coming home
Heritage standout Sony Michel joins crowded field at running back
The Miami Dolphins are bringing a South Florida product back home and adding another tailback to a crowded running back room.
The Dolphins have signed former New England Patriots running back Sony Michel, a former Broward County high school football standout at American Heritage, the team confirmed Tuesday. Michel will get a one year, $2.1 million deal, according to ESPN.
Michel has collected 3,137 rushing yards with 18 touchdowns and two more receiving in four NFL seasons after he was drafted as a late-first-round pick out of Georgia in 2018. His first three were with the Patriots, the Dolphins’ AFC East rival, and he spent last season with the Los Angeles Rams.
He was won two Super Bowls between his two prior stops. As a rookie on the 2018 Patriots, he scored six touchdowns during the team’s run to the Super Bowl victory over the Rams.
At 5-foot-11 and 215 pounds, Michel can present Miami with a between-the-tackles runner in a crowded backfield that mostly has quick, elusive running backs. The Dolphins added Chase Edmonds and Raheem Mostert in free
agency and have Myles Gaskin and Salvon Ahmed returning from last year’s roster.
Michel started his NFL career with back-to-back 900-yard rushing seasons for New England in 2018 and 2019. Although Michel averaged a career-high 5.7 yards per carry in 200, he missed about half the season between a quadriceps injury and stint on the reserve/COVID-19 list.
During his time in New England, Michel shared the backfield with another Broward County high school football standout in James White (St. Thomas Aquinas). The Patriots traded Michel to the Rams in the 2021 preseason.