It’s hard to enter any Miami Dolphins season feeling any other way than that the offensive line is the unit most likely to cause concern. A closer look at the construction of this year’s roster, however, shows that if there is a unit to be concerned about on offense, it may be running back.

It’s well-documented the Miami offense regressed from its explosive 2023 form, averaging 20.3 points per game (22nd in the NFL) and 105.6 rushing yards per game (21^st). A year after Raheem Mostert led the NFL with 18 rushing touchdowns, the entire team had just 12 for the season.

Head coach Mike McDaniel has admitted that teams had an answer to what they were doing the year before and it changed how the team operated, so that played some role.

But looking ahead to 2025, maybe there should be a little concern about how they have put the positional group together.

A LITTLE BACKWARD

Devon Achane, who led the team with 907 yards, is a fantastic back. But the role McDaniel had him in last year is not good for the offense, Achane or his health.

Achane should not be shouldering the load of the carries, despite his talent. That leads to the question of who would share carries if there were a designated number two, or even a straight rotational 1a/1b, which is what would be best for Achane (even if he wouldn’t particularly want it).

WHO AT NO. 2

Jaylen Wright was disappointing last year. There were moments he showed flashes, but too few with 68 carries for 249 yards. His play style is not super complimentary either to the offensive team assembled around him or the offense itself.

In Wright you have a flashy home-run hitter, same as in Achane (though obviously much more than just that in Achane), Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle. And his skills seem to be more gap scheme or inside zone than the outside zone the Dolphins like to run.

Watching his tape, he struggles to see holes. On his best plays he follows a lead blocker like Alec Ingold or Julian Hill, who guide him. But even on those plays, you watch what he is looking at versus where he’s being led, and he is late to it even then a lot of times.

When he doesn’t have a straight-up dedicated blocker, he does a lot of hesitating and hesitation in the NFL leads to plays in the backfield. And when Miami was looking for any spark down the stretch last season, it went away from Wright, not to him.

In games two through 12, Miami gave Wright 59 chances running the ball or nearly 5.4 touches per game. From week 13 on, he got just nine rushing attempts (1.8 per game) for six yards.

Wright looks great physically. The question will be in his growth in the offense mentally.

“The best way that I can tell that (Jaylin) really wants the ball is if you’re very on all the details of your track when you’re getting the ball or your route to get the ball. Basically, if you’re on it with your assignments, that’s telling me you want the ball more.” – Mike McDaniel on Wright (6/12/25)

A BETTER FIT TO SPLIT

A better fit for the team would be if Achane split time with a player who offered something different and had the size to endure some of what McDaniel did with Achane last year.

In free agent signee Alexander Mattison and rookie Ollie Gordon, they have that profile in both backs but both come with question marks. Mattison (5-11, 220) has historically shown power, but his career has been one of diminishing returns of late and there’s no guarantee he can carve out a roster spot.

Gordon has the size (6-1, 226), and the mentality of a bruiser while seeming to have the vision Wright lacks. Miami was fortunate to be able to land a player of Gordon’s caliber in the 6^th round and it took a perfect storm of sorts for it to happen.

Gordon both had a down year in 2024 after winning the Doak Walker Award the year before AND came out in what could be one of the deepest running back classes in the history of the draft.

If Gordon can pick up the offense and show the punishing form he showed in college, he could be the solution. But again, aside from Achane, he still falls under the category of another unknown.  

IN LIMITED SUPPLY

Right now, those four and undrafted free agent Nate Noel out of Missouri are all the team has as true running backs (Alec Ingold obviously serves as fullback).

It goes without saying that if Achane goes down, the team is in big trouble as things stand right now. But even if he doesn’t, Miami needs another back to step up and carry some of the load without the offense stalling in the process.

Unless we’re wearing rose colored-glasses, it’s hard to imagine the team isn’t planning on picking up another veteran back, possibly after another team goes through cutdowns. It would be somewhat disappointing, frankly, if Mattison is on the roster given his historical production numbers.

And we’ve presented the concerns with Wright that will only be answered when he gets touches in a game setting and has to show whether a year in the system will have him behave like a more natural, instinctive runner. He can’t be the one cut and off-to-the-races back he was in college.

FURTHER UNLOCKING ACHANE

Leaving Achane to the lead back role, however, is dangerous one for Miami, especially given that it seemed like there was little discretion for him and his size limitations last year.

Again, Achane is a fantastic back – quick, fast, hard-nosed, strong for his size, amazing hands as a receiver. There’s nothing not to love. But his role should be a complimentary one both to the running backs and wide receivers, not lead dog.

He is talented enough to be that versatile chess piece if another player can step in and take on more of the load in the rushing department.

If not, the overall look of the Dolphins running back position is a bit of a concern.