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Why RB Needs to Prove Dolphins Made the Wright Move

Running back Jaylen Wright should be a key performer for the offense in 2025

Dante Collinelli

Miami Dolphins running back Jaylen Wright (25) runs with the football against New York Jets linebacker Jamien Sherwood (44) during the second quarter at Hard Rock Stadium.
Miami Dolphins running back Jaylen Wright (25) runs with the football against New York Jets linebacker Jamien Sherwood (44) during the second quarter at Hard Rock Stadium. / Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
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The Miami Dolphins need running back Jaylen Wright to have a breakout season in 2025.

With the team releasing veteran running back Raheem Mostert, Wright is slated to get significantly more carries next season. He’ll still have to share the backfield with De’Von Achane, but the Dolphins likely will expect Wright to be a “1B” to Achane’s “1A” in the backfield.

“I think part of our vision moving forward is we have high expectations of that tandem of De’Von and Jaylen and think that they give us an opportunity to really be effective handing the ball off and doing stuff in the passing game,” coach Mike McDaniel told reporters at the NFL Combine. “I’m excited to see how the room fills out, knowing that we only have two under contract, but I’m very excited about those two and motivated to make it more than two.”

As a rookie, Wright didn’t see the field too much. He carried the ball just 68 times for 249 yards and caught three of his six receiving targets for eight yards. For reference, Mostert finished last season with 85 carries despite playing in just 13 games (Wright played in 15).

Additionally, the Dolphins have invested a lot of assets into Wright. During the 2024 draft, the Dolphins traded a 2025 third-round pick to the Philadelphia Eagles to get the 120th overall pick in the fourth round and select Wright.

Clearly, a potential breakout season is on Wright’s mind, as his dad, Curtis, posted a hype video to Twitter (X) on Monday night featuring some of Wright’s rookie season highlights.

How Wright Can Help the Dolphins

The No. 1 change Wright can bring to the Dolphins offense is his physical running style. Wright is listed at 5-11, 210 pounds, making him one of the few contributors on Miami’s offense with the ability to deal with contact.

Last season, Wright averaged 3.25 yards after contact (321 yards total), while Achane averaged 2.91 yards after contact (591 total), according to PFF. Obviously, there’s a huge difference in sample size to consider, but it’s pretty clear on the film that Wright’s contact balance was much better than Achane’s last season.

One specific area where Wright’s contact balance could be used is on third-and-short. Under McDaniel, the Dolphins have consistently struggled to convert on third and short.

The quarterback sneak isn’t an option because of Tua Tagovailoa’s injury history, and the team’s lack of investment in the guard position has left the center of the line unable to create push.

Wright only received two carries on third down last season — both in Week 4 vs. Tennessee — and neither were third-and-short opportunities.

Perhaps the most appealing part of getting Wright more involved this season is how it could help take some pressure off Achane. In 2024, Achane led the team in carries (204) and was third in catches (78).

Achane finished 17th in the league in total touches (receptions + carries) last season, which is a lot to put on a running back listed at 5-9, 188 pounds. Achane played in all 17 games last season, but expecting him to have that many touches and not get injured isn’t realistic.

It’s important to note that Achane missed time during the 2023 season due to an MCL sprain.

Wright’s involvement can help Achane stay on the field and become a more efficient runner. Last season, 28 percent of the Dolphins running back carries went for no gain or a loss, the most in the NFL. The next-closest team was the Houston Texans at 23 percent. Also, the Dolphins were tied for the third most runs that gained zero yards (105) since 2000, per TruMedia.

Not all that falls on Achane, as offensive line injuries, poor perimeter blocking, and play-calling all share some blame. Still, Achane was never supposed to be a back who dominated his team’s carries. Coming out of Texas A&M, he was viewed as a good complementary option who could contribute to the receiving game.

Achane’s vision as a runner was exposed a bit this season since he was asked to be the team’s primary ball carrier.

Wright also struggled with negative running plays. He had 22 rushes go for zero or negative yards last season, but that’s an incredibly small sample size. Wright never had the opportunity to get into a rhythm and develop his vision as a rookie.

In theory, letting Achane return to a role where he doesn’t have to keep the offense on schedule and giving Wright the chance to get some experience will benefit both players and lead to fewer negative runs.

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Dante Collinelli
DANTE COLLINELLI

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