Dolphins trade for 49ers’ Jeff Wilson, running back depth after sending Edmonds to Broncos
The Dolphins have agreed to a trade for San Francisco 49ers running back Jeff Wilson pending a physical, the team announced Tuesday, adding backfield depth after sending Chase Edmonds to the Denver Broncos in the deal that brought Pro Bowl pass rusher Bradley Chubb to Miami.
The Dolphins are sending a 2023 fifth-round pick to San Francisco for Wilson.
Wilson, 26, reunites with Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel, who served as run game coordinator and then offensive coordinator in San Francisco.
A former undrafted rookie who signed with the 49ers in 2018, Wilson, has rushed for 468 yards and two touchdowns this season. However, he had just 11 carries after San Francisco traded for All-Pro running back Christian McCaffrey two weeks ago. In five seasons, Wilson has rushed for 1,733 yards and 17 touchdowns, averaging 4.4 yards per attempt. He has also caught 45 passes for 387 yards and four touchdowns. In 2020, Wilson led the 49ers in rushing with 600 yards, seven touchdowns and a 4.8-yard average.
Edmonds, who signed a two-year, $12 million deal in March, started two of the Dolphins’ first three games. But his playing time declined as he struggled with drops and Raheem Mostert, another former 49er running back, emerged as the team’s top back in recent weeks. Edmonds recorded 42 attempts for 120 yards, along with two touchdowns. His 2.9 yards per carry were the fewest among players with at least 40 rushing attempts. Edmonds also caught 10 passes for 96 yards and one touchdown but dropped four passes, one shy of a single-season career high.
The Dolphins rank 28th in the NFL with 88.1 rushing yards per game and 27 with 3.9 yards per attempt but have shown improvement in recent weeks, totaling 100 yards in two consecutive games. Mostert leads the team with 452 rushing yards.
Now, Wilson gives McDaniel another familiar face in the backfield for his outside zone running scheme.
“He’s a running back that when you give him a carry, not only is he getting yards, but he’s also breathing life into to the offense and defense and the special teams,” McDaniel said in November 2021. “So that’s what’s unique about him, his style and his energy and passion for the game. He’s a guy that was undrafted and wears that on his sleeve. It’s really what’s made him who he is, is that he’s not comfortable at all. He’s always trying to work and get better. He’s come a long way from that 195-pound skinny kid in North Texas that we worked out back in, whenever that was, 2018. And that’s a testament to him specifically and who he is as a person and a man.”
This story was originally published November 1, 2022 at 3:19 PM.
