Mostert Looks Forward and Back at Super Bowl

Running back Raheem Mostert reflected on his first season with the Miami Dolphins

It's Super Bowl week and that means Radio Row and NFL players and celebrities of all kinds doing interviews leading up to the big game.

So it was that Raheem Mostert was a guest on SiriusXM’s Mad Dog Sports Radio live from the Super Bowl LVII media center, chatting with host Adam Schein about the Miami Dolphins, head coach Mike McDaniel and quarterback Tua Tagovailoa.

What stood out from Mostert's comments, though, might have been the way he talked and how he sure sounded like a player who was expecting or hoping to be back in Miami for a second season in 2023.

Mostert is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent March 15, but it almost would be a surprise if he didn't return given that he was productive for the Dolphins this season, there's a lot of mutual respect and a clear connection between him and McDaniel, and also because Mostert provides very good value at running back when you combine his ability and price tag — Spotrac estimated his market value at $2.1 million.

In addressing the playoff loss at Buffalo when the Dolphins found themselves with a chance to win late despite starting rookie seventh-round pick Skylar Thompson, Mostert made this comment: "In the grand scheme of things, there were definitely a lot of positives for the team and moving forward we know what we've got to do."

Now, that sure sounds like a player more focused on helping the Dolphins get better than a potential future team.

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The Dolphins currently do not have a single running back on their roster under contract for 2023, with Mostert, Jeff Wilson Jr. and Myles Gaskin all pending UFAs and Salvon Ahmed a restricted free agent.

It's difficult to envision the Dolphins not bringing back at least one of those players, and Mostert would have to rank at the top of the list.

RAHEEM MOSTERT ON TUA TAGOVAILOA AND MIKE McDANIEL

Here were some of the highlights from the Mostert interview:

His thoughts on how the Dolphins can get better: "Well, we've got to tighten up our offense a little bit more. We gotta make better calls in the offense. I know that Mike is gonna get the job done. He's a brilliant mind."

What stands out about Mike McDaniel: "I think the thing that hasn't been portrayed enough is his authenticity and his brilliance. The guy knows football in and out like the back of his hand. He understands the game and he knows what he has to do. When we had these losses, whether it was tight and we lost by three here, two here or even a touchdown, he'll go back and be like, 'I made the messed-up call. I made a call that wasn't suitable for the offense' and he'll take that blame, which is awesome because as a head coach, you don't hear too many coaches come out and be like, 'I made the bad call. It was my part, like I've got to do a better job.' And he'll confront us and tell us that in the locker room at the moment if we lost the game, and he'll be like, 'Hey, look, you know, I'll do a better job.' "

On what he saw from QB Tua Tagovailoa: "I will say he is definitely our guy moving forward, but he has to take care of himself. First and foremost, I'm all about health. That's how I've always been. I believe that in order to be successful, you have to have your health. And unfortunately, I was banged up here and there a couple of times in my career, and I understand that health is a major aspect in a player's game. Moving forward, I think that Tua has done an unbelievable job ... now I wasn't here. I wasn't with the Dolphins prior to (the 2022 season), so I don't I can't really comment on what was happening inside the building, but I can say that he didn't have a lot of negative connotation to him just because of the type of game that he was putting out there. This year he definitely stepped up and he did his thing and it's definitely gonna be a bright future for him."

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