What's the Wright Move at Running Back?

Miami Dolphins rookie Jaylen Wright has earned more opportunities, but it's not that simple.

Miami Dolphins running back Jaylen Wright (25) tries to outrun Indianapolis Colts safety Julian Blackmon (32) during the second half at Lucas Oil Stadium. / Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images

What's the Wright move at running back for the Miami Dolphins?

Pardon the pun, but head coach Mike McDaniel is facing a dilemma of the good kind when it comes to the running back position.

Now that everyone at the position is healthy, the Dolphins have a surplus, which creates issues for McDaniel when it comes to dividing up the snaps and touches.

And the one person most responsible for creating that dilemma is rookie fourth-round pick Jaylen Wright, who has proven every bit as good as advertised so far and flashed some big-time ability just about every time he touches the ball.

The latest example came in the 28-27 loss against the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday when Wright had 12 and 6 yards on two rushing attempts in the first quarter.

But Wright wouldn't touch the ball again and would finish with only three offensive snaps, as the running back duties went mostly to De'Von Achane and Raheem Mostert.

Achane was highly productive against Arizona, scoring 97 yards rushing and 50 more receiving, while Mostert had a tougher time, scoring only 19 yards on nine carries, though he did score two touchdowns.

Wright's two attempts gave him 36 on the season, and he's got 190 yards to show for it, with his 5.3-yard average being the best on the team. Achane is next at 4.4, and Mostert is third with 3.5, not counting Jeff Wilson, Jr.'s 5.0 average because he's only had eight rushing attempts and has been inactive the past two games.

Not surprisingly, McDaniel was asked Monday about getting Wright more work and how to balance his familiarity with Mostert (dating back to their days with the 49ers) with what looks like a bigger upside for Wright.

...there is, absolutely, without a shadow of a doubt '25' [Jaylen Wright] can help us and will, and we'll make the necessary adjustments to make sure that he can contribute his skill set.

- Miami Dolphins Head Coach Mike McDaniel

"It takes eleven people to execute a play, and then you're trying to access the different tools that each player has and their ability to execute each and every play, not just when they have the ball, but without," McDaniel began his very elaborate answer. "And then you're also firmly assessing, I'm not going off of Raheem Mostert's productivity last year. He was a gigantic tone-setter for us against Indy. And there was a play in particular. I think it was second-and-11, where he kind of checked down and ran over four defenders to get the first down and made some really, really decisive reads on the goal line, which, when you are featuring somebody close to the goal line, their yards per carry is not going to be high because of the short distance. I think those are all factors into it.

"But you have to take the information that the players give you and constantly adjust. I think [running backs coach] Eric Studesville has done a great job in bringing backs along here. Starting with De'Von last year and Jaylen this year. I would expect a hard guy to tackle that continues to get his assignments right to get more action. There are residuals to the flow of the game.

"I would have been surprised if you guys would have told me he had two carries. I would have been like, 'What? What happened?' So that wasn't the plan going in; however, there are things that unfold in different areas that we like to feature people and also, it becomes a little more convoluted. Having good players is a good problem, not a bad problem. I've been on the other side of that. But there is, absolutely, without a shadow of a doubt '25' [Jaylen Wright] can help us and will, and we'll make the necessary adjustments to make sure that he can contribute his skill set."

A POTENTIAL SOLUTION TO THE LOGJAM

The Dolphins' situation at running back is such that Wilson, a solid, established veteran, can't even get into the game-day lineup.

That depth is why national media outlets have mentioned that one of the veteran running backs could be traded.

Wilson is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent next spring, while Mostert has one year left after signing an extension in the offseason. The Dolphins could save cap space if they decide to move on next spring and focus on the two young running backs.

Exactly how much Wilson or Mostert could fetch in a trade is debatable, though something around a sixth-round pick or maybe a fifth-round choice might be realistic.

That kind of trade certainly would make it easier for McDaniel to get Wright more involved, and the Dolphins have the depth to make the move, particularly if they stand at 2-6 at the trade deadline. This is entirely possible, given that they'll be clear underdogs for their game at Buffalo on Sunday.

However it shakes out, it would behoove McDaniel to get his rookie running back more touches because he's shown that he's got the — another pun coming — Wright stuff.