Coast to Coast: Salvon Ahmed Cut by 49ers, Signs with Dolphins

The former University of Washington running back is finding out fairly quickly how much of a business the NFL can be, changing teams in one day.

Salvon Ahmed likely knew it was going to be tough at times finding a place to run.

In this case, he's went coast to coast to keep his NFL career afloat.

On Wednesday, the San Francisco 49ers announced they had released the former University of Washington running back and within hours Ahmed, an undrafted player, signed with the Miami Dolphins.

The rapid-fire moves reunited Ahmed with former UW teammate Myles Gaskin, the Huskies' all-time leading rusher who played as a rookie in Miami last season.

Ahmed spent two seasons playing behind Gaskin with the Huskies, became the starter in 2019 and gave up his final year of eligibility to turn pro. 

The attraction to him is his blazing 4.4-second 40-yard speed; the downside is he's not a physical, run-the-gaps type of player. 

Ahmed got cut loose by the 49ers to make room on the team's 80-man roster for tight end Eric Swoope, a one-time college basketball player for the University of Miami and a journeyman NFL player. He was one of two undrafted free-agent backs, with the other, JaMycal Hasty from Baylor, apparently outperforming him in camp.

It's clear the former Husky still has some obstacles to overcome in how he's perceived by the pros as more style than substance in a back. 

"Salvon Ahmed is a low-end NFL running back who has the redirection ability to make some big plays happen in space, but he's currently not reliable in his ability to process and key the point of attack," The Draft Network's Kyle Crabbs said before the draft. "Too many of his runs are derailed by his own attempts to work to daylight and he needs to develop more trust and urgency to press through gaps. Ahmed's athleticism is passable for the pro game but he lacks the long speed and home-run-hitting skills he seems to think he has with his running style."

The Dolphins signed Ahmed after losing Kalen Ballage and Patric Laird to injuries on Wednesday. He brings 2,016 yards and 21 touchdowns rushing with him from Washington. 

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