‘Been a season.’ Inside Dolphins RB Jaylen Wright’s journey to his first 100-yard game
Jaylen Wright delivered quite the succinct summary of his 2025 on Sunday.
“It’s been a season,” Wright said. “It’s been long.”
The Miami Dolphins’ second-year running back played a pivotal role in his team’s 34-10 victory over the New York Jets, setting career highs in attempts (24) and rushing yards (107) as well as scoring the first touchdown of his career. And with De’Von Achane a bit banged up with a rib injury that knocked him out of the game in the second quarter, it might be the Wright time for him to shine.
“I just waited patiently for this opportunity,” Wright said after his career day. “I’m blessed for this opportunity. I’m going to thank God for this opportunity.”
Sunday’s success was a long time coming for Wright. The 2024 fourth-round pick came into the season as Achane’s backup after quite the impressive showing in organized team activities. Then, Wright suffered a right knee injury during joint practices with the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Not only did Wright undergo minor surgery, he lost his job as a backup running back in favor of Ollie Gordon II. It took Wright until Week 3 to get cleared. Even then he found himself firmly entrenched behind Gordon, even being a healthy scratch in a few games.
“NFL life — it’s just a lot of stuff I can’t control,” Wright said. “The only thing I can control is me, working hard to practice, staying locked into meetings, and being on top of all my stuff.”
After a difficult start to the 2025 season, coach Mike McDaniel couldn’t help but be proud of how Wright managed to bounce back.
“My favorite part of coaching guys isn’t when everything is going well,” McDaniel said. “Jaylen had expectations going into the season, and it didn’t start off totally the way I think he kind of pictured it. But what did he do through that, he focused on finding ways to contribute in any way, whether that be special teams or getting reps, not only on the live action units, but also as a look team and really focused. And the last couple of weeks, his game has been as good as I’ve seen it since he’s been here.”
Added McDaniel: “To see him flourish, that’s what we were counting on as a team, that’s what I was counting on and that’s why all the guys really get excited, really got excited for him in the game, after the game, to get his first 100-yard game. It says everything about him because he got his confidence in his game the old-fashioned way, hard work, day in, day out, chopping wood and kept belief. So, really, really excited for what he did today, and glad that he really got to showcase where his game was at because we’ve been seeing in practice.”
Luckily, McDaniel delivered some good news on the Achane front in that it doesn’t sound like the star tailback’s rib injury will keep him out long-term. Even still, Wright’s emergence could help spell the former Texas A&M standout at times. Add in Gordon’s handful of touches on Sunday, and it’s no secret why the Dolphins trio rushed for a season-high 239 yards to topple the Jets.
Center Aaron Brewer, for one, has long since advocated for the Dolphins to unleash its three-headed snake. Finally, it would seem that the Dolphins have taken one step closer to the star center’s dreams.
“I want all my boys out there,” Brewer said. “Everybody can get a chance to touch that rock, because all of them are talented. When they’ve got that ball in their hand, they’re all doing something special. If we can keep that rotation and keep some of them fresh and good to go when we need them, I’m all for it.”
