Miami Dolphins acquire running back Matt Breida from 49ers
The Miami Dolphins acquired a veteran running back to pair with Jordan Howard on Saturday, trading the 153rd overall pick to San Francisco for Matt Breida.
The Dolphins inherit his one-year, $3.3 million deal.
Breida, who’s 5-10 and 190 pounds, has averaged 5.0 yards on 381 career carries over three NFL seasons.
“Matt is a very explosive, young running back, good vision, can create a lot of big plays,” Dolphins coach Brian Flores said. “He’s also tough,smart and has a lot of the qualities we’re looking for in our players. Exciting phone call to have with him and excited to have him out here.”
With all the top running backs off the board, Flores said the Dolphins decided to think “outside the box” to add a running back.
He started 13 games in 2018, his second season with the 49ers, and started five games last season, when he ran 123 times for 623 yards, a 5.1 average.
Breida, 25, entered last season as a co-starter with Tevin Coleman. He ran for 114 yards and an 83-yard touchdown on 11 carries in a 31-3 victory against the Cleveland Browns early in the season but was used less frequently late in the season with the development of Raheed Mostert.
As a receiver, he has 67 career receptions for 561 yards, an 8.4 average.
He has six rushing touchdowns and four receiving touchdowns in his career. He has four career fumbles in 381 career carries and has lost two.
Howard and Breida will enter camp as the front-runners to be the Dolphins’ top two running backs.
Kalen Ballage, Patrick Laird, Myles Gaskin, De’Lance Turner and Samaje Perrine also will compete for a roster spot or two, and more running backs might be added later on Sunday.
Breida signed his free agent tender with the 49ers recently and told a Bay Area radio station: “[My agent and I] just felt it was right to come back to San Fran. I love the coaching staff. I love my teammates. I’ve been here since the start of my career, and I feel like we have unfinished business that we have to handle and settle. I just want to get another crack at the Super Bowl.”
According to NFL Network, the Dolphins and Jaguars discussed a trade for Jacksonville running back Leonard Fournette last month, but it never materialized.
Breida was undrafted out of Georgia Southern and was not invited to the NFL Combine. However, he performed well at his pro day, running a 4.38 40-yard dash and a 42-inch vertical jump.
Dating back to 2000, just two running backs at the NFL Combine have recorded a higher vertical jump or a faster 40-yard dash. His pro day statistics would have placed him first at the combine in the 40-yard dash, vertical and broad jumps, and third in the 225 pound bench.
He signed with the 49ers after the draft.
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This story was originally published April 25, 2020 at 2:46 PM.
