Dolphins RB Status: Any Need for Changes?
The Miami Dolphins are coming off what overall could be considered a successful season, which ended with an 11-6 record and a second consecutive playoff appearance, but there is work to be done for the team to reach the next level.
The major first step in the roster-building process will be free agency, which will kick off with the start of the new league year March 13 after the Dolphins go over their season-ending roster and decide how to proceed at each position moving forward.
With that in mind, we examine where the Dolphins stand at each position heading into free agency, with contract status of each player, a quick review of the 2023 performance and an analysis of what to expect in the offseason.
We continue with the running backs.
MIAMI DOLPHINS RUNNING BACKS IN 2023
On the roster: Raheem Mostert, De'Von Achane, Jeff Wilson Jr., Chris Brooks, Salvon Ahmed (ended season on IR)
2023 season: It was a banner year for this position, as Mostert tied for the NFL lead in most touchdowns and Achane set an NFL single-season record with his 7.78-yard average.
Stats that stand out: Mostert averaged a remarkable 6.1 yards per carry on first-and-10 ... Achane had five runs of 40 yards or longer — more than the team recorded in the previous four seasons combined.
THE OFFSEASON AT RUNNING BACK
Contract status: Mostert and Wilson are signed through 2024; Brooks is signed through 2025; Achane is signed through 2026; Ahmed is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agents
Notable pending free agents around the NFL: Derrick Henry, Tennessee; Josh Jacobs, Las Vegas; Saquon Barkley, N.Y. Giants; Austin Ekeler, L.A. Chargers; Cordarrelle Patterson, Minnesota; J.K. Dobbins, Baltimore; D'Andre Swift, Philadelphia
Offseason outlook: Look at the names of pending free agents and it's obviously a great year to be in need of a running back, but the question here is whether the Dolphins have any sort of need. And the answer here pretty much looks like a no after what Miami got out of Mostert and Achane in 2023, plus the promise that Chris Brooks showed as a rookie free agent this season. Yes, adding a bruising back to handle short-yardage situations would make some sense, but it's hard to envision the Dolphins spending big money on a player like Derrick Henry or Henry wanting to come to a team where he likely would become a complementary player. Actually, the most significant move we might see happen at this position would involve Jeff Wilson Jr., who became sort of an afterthought in 2023 and whose release would clear almost $3 million of cap space. The Dolphins also might do something with Mostert's contract like extend him and at the same time lower his cap number of $3.3 million for 2024.
