Dolphins Still Shopping for Tailbacks?
The Miami Dolphins tried to acquire a veteran tailback during the 2023 NFL draft, but it might not be one of the Pro Bowl talents we were thinking about.
According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, the Dolphins were the Philadelphia Eagles’ main competition for D’Andre Swift when the Detroit Lions were interested in moving the third-down specialist following the selection of former Alabama standout Jahmyr Gibbs with the 12th pick in the 2023 NFL draft.
That means at some point between Friday and Saturday afternoon, potentially right up to the moment the Lions sent Swift to the Eagles in exchange for a 2025 fourth-round pick, and a swap of seventh-rounders in 2023, General Manager Chris Grier had a conversation about acquiring Swift.
HERE THE SWIFT STORY IS SO INTERESTING
This is interesting for two particular reasons:
The first is that Miami would acquire Swift, who has started only 16 of the 40 games he’s played but has averaged 4.6 yards per carry throughout his career, even though he’s entering the final season of his rookie deal.
And would do it after re-signing all four of the tailbacks —Raheem Mostert, Jeff Wilson, Salvon Ahmed and Myles Gaskin — the team had at the end of the 2022 season.
The second reason is that on Friday night Miami drafted Devon Achane, a Texas A&M standout, in the third round, making him the fifth speedster added to its stable of tailbacks.
During draft weekend, Coach Mike McDaniel shared his level of excitement and nervousness he had about Achane potentially being taken by another team before Miami was on the clock with the 84th pick.
So it’s not as if Achane, who scored 28 touchdowns during his Aggies career, is some afterthought, or throw-away selection.
It’s unclear if Miami remained interested in Swift after the selection of Achane, and it’s unspecified the caliber of offer Miami put on the table.
If Grier was offering up a sixth- or seventh-round pick for a 24-year-old who is slated to make $1.77 million in the final year of his rookie deal, he was simply trying to take advantage of the Lions.
We don’t know those particulars.
DOLPHINS ALWAYS LOOKING TO 'INVESTIGATE'
However, after the draft draft, when asked specifically if the Dolphins were still in the market to add a veteran tailback, McDaniel made sure he walked a fine line to avoid any tampering allegations, and ended a 30-second speech about always looking to add talent with a “YES.”
“Generally, nothing is off the table,” McDaniel said after looking at Grier with a coy smirk. “ We’re very happy with the offseason we’ve had, the players we were able to keep, the ones we’ve added to this roster, the ones we’ve added in the draft, and that we’re going to (add) in free agency. There will always be stuff we investigate because that’s our job.”
The question was posed because of rumors circulating for months that Minnesota Pro Bowl talent Dalvin Cook has his sights set on joining the Dolphins this offseason.
The Dolphins had conversations with Minnesota about Cook, but nothing has materialized yet. It would be interesting to see if anything would materialize if the Vikings released Cook, which Fowler, who covered Minnesota for years, has speculated could be a possibility considering the Vikings' lack the cap space to sign their 2023 draftees.
There are a number of ways to create cap space, so assuming financial hardship is a logical reason to release Cook, the team’s second-biggest talent, is irresponsible.
However, it doesn’t seem as if the Dolphins are willing to send draft picks Minnesota’s way to acquire Cook, who likely will seek a new contract from whatever team he joins.
This two-step between Cook and Miami isn’t over, and likely won’t be until he’s landed another multi-year deal, whether it be with Minnesota or another team.
THE DOLPHINS' 2022 EXAMPLE
Exactly this time last year, two weeks after the draft, the Dolphins added Sony Michel to an already crowded backfield that featured two free agent additions (Mostert and Chase Edmonds), two returnees (Gaskin and Ahmed) and two young unproven talents (Gerrid Doaks and ZaQuandre White).
If Miami simply wanted to add an unemployed tailback instead of trading for one, there are plenty of options considering Ezekiel Elliott, Kareem Hunt, Mark Ingram, Kenyan Drake, Marlon Mack and Malcolm Brown all are proven, established tailbacks looking for work.
Only time, and potentially another transaction will indicate whether the Dolphins feel they have enough quality backs on the roster.
So we wait.
