Breida, Mostert and their Dolphins connection

Running back Matt Breida was traded to the Miami Dolphins in part because of the emergence of an emerging player who's come a long way since making his NFL debut with Miami

You could call it ironic. Or some sort of three degrees of separation.

As fate would have it, former Raheem Mostert ended up playing a role in the departure of his good friend Matt Breida from San Francisco.

And in another twist, it so happened that Breida was traded to the Miami Dolphins, the same team with which Mostert began a roller-coaster journey that would lead him to the 49ers.

Mostert's emergence for the 49ers in the 2019 paved the way for the trade of Breida to better accommodate their abundance of running backs while creating cap space, but it was a bittersweet moment for Mostert.

"It is a little bit sad, but it's also business," Mostert told Bay Area reporters on a video conference call. "I told Matt that I was angry. But at the same time, I was happy just because he's getting an opportunity to go down to Miami and to try to be one of the best backs in Miami that he can possibly be.

"And I know he's going to take that step because that's all Matt does."

Breida comes to the Dolphins as an established speed back, and he's widely expected to play a key role on offense along with free agent acquisition Jordan Howard.

JORDAN HOWARD! WELCOME TO PHILLY! https://t.co/9gsVyV8u96

— Made For Philly (@MadeForPhilly) March 29, 2019

Breida's speed will provide the perfect complement to Howard's physicality, sort of the lightning to Howard's thunder.

Mostert still was trying to establish himself when he joined the Dolphins in 2015 after being signed off the Philadelphia Eagles practice squad after the start of the regular season.

In Week 2 at Jacksonville, Mostert made his NFL debut when he played 12 snaps on special teams and returned two kickoffs for 57 yards.

A month later, Mostert was waived by the Dolphins, continuing a stretch where Mostert would  find himself with six different teams in two years.

Mostert finally found a home in San Francisco late in the 2016 season, but it wasn't until last year that he blossomed as a running back.

While helping the 49ers reach the Super Bowl, Mostert led the team in rushing with 772 yards, with Breida second with 623. Mostert had a game for the ages in the NFC Championship Game when he rushed for 220 yards and four touchdowns against Green Bay, then had 58 rushing yards and a touchdown in the Super Bowl loss against Kansas City.

Raheem Mostert's job: President, CEO, and Owner of the @packers pic.twitter.com/MA5rFPfa0f

— Karl Johnson (@kj11aj) May 20, 2020

Through their three years together in San Francisco, Breida and Mostert grew close, and both coming into the league as rookie free agents was one thing they had in common.

"Being undrafted and fighting his way up the roster, he had the same qualities I had when I was doing the same thing when I was undrafted," Mostert said. "That's where we share our bond.

"He said, ‘Hey, Raheem, we're still going to be contacting each other week-in and week-out.' And I said, ‘You damn right we are.' He's my brother and I'm always going to look after my little brother, no matter what. Our bond is unbreakable. It's something that's going to last for a lifetime. I'm so excited for him."