‘Fired up at the incomplete room.’ How the Dolphins plan to address the running back position
The Miami Dolphins don’t have the greatest need at running back.
With De’Von Achane emerging as a potential workhorse back in 2024 and rookie Jaylen Wright’s flashes of talent, there might be some who would dissuade the Dolphins from the selection of a tailback for the third straight year. Coach Mike McDaniel, however, might disagree.
“I’m fired up at the incomplete room,” McDaniel said Tuesday, later adding “I feel extremely strong about who is in the room knowing it will grow by two to three people. I think part of our vision moving forward is we have high expectations of that tandem of De’Von and Jaylen and think that they give us an opportunity to really be effective handing the ball off and doing stuff in the pass game.”
The need for at least two more tailbacks stems from the Feb. 14 release of Raheem Mostert, who took a noticeable step back in 2024 after he set the franchise single-season record for touchdowns in 2023. Throw in the free agency of Jeff Wilson Jr., and it completely makes sense for the Dolphins to add another tailback. Whether it’s in the draft or via free agency remains to be seen.
“We’ll look at that position and quite honestly look at every position, because I don’t want to be in a situation ever, and [general manager] Chris [Grier] is the exact same way, where you have an opportunity to pick somebody that is elite that you didn’t put any time into,” McDaniel said. “We’ll put in healthy time just like every other position, but I’m excited for that room even though it’s incomplete.”
With the Dolphins’ struggles in short yardage situations, at least on the backs added needs to be a power runner. One such running back just so happened to attend school in Coral Gables.
“How they run wide zone, how everything’s moving with the O-line, I love it,” University of Miami’s Damien Martinez told the Miami Herald at the Senior Bowl. The 21-year-old also confirmed that he spoke with Dolphins.
Ranked No. 100 on ESPN’s big board, Martinez had back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons the last two years. He added a career-high 10 touchdowns in 2024. ESPN’s description of Martinez, courtesy of NFL Draft analyst Steve Muench, made him sound like the perfect fit for the Dolphins with either of their fourth-round picks.
“Martinez is an efficient north-south runner between the tackles,” Muench wrote. “He’s a big and powerful back who runs through and over defenders. He pushes the pile when he doesn’t get a seam.”
The Dolphins took a giant step back in the run game in 2024. After Miami boasted the sixth-best rushing offense at 135.8 yards per game in 2023, they fell to 21 the following year. A large part of that drop off can be attributed to substandard play at both guard positions.
It remains unclear whether the Dolphins will bring back the trio of Robert Jones, Liam Eichenberg and Isaiah Wynn, the trio that manned the guard positions. If last year’s performance was any indication, the Dolphins could stand to improve there, something that McDaniel appeared ready address in the very near future.
“I think we have a tangible opportunity to improve that starts in free agency with a couple of guys that we have targeted that you think you can get a deal done with them, and that continues into the draft,” McDaniel said. “I think it’s a very good time to have some need. We have — it’s time for us to invest in that position and excited to. That can come – I would expect it to surface itself in both free agency and the draft.”
