Breaking Down the Dolphins Running Back Situation

So there's a lot to shake out when it comes to the Miami Dolphins and the running back position after the team traded for former Raiders draft pick DeAndre Washington and reports indicated that starter Myles Gaskin will be sidelined for three games with a knee injury.

The news was first reported by Miami Herald writer Barry Jackson and later confirmed by the other South Florida newspapers.

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So what does it mean for the Dolphins as it pertains to their game against the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday and the following weeks?

Gaskin not only has been the starter but he's been overwhelmingly featured in the running game. Gaskin has carried the ball exactly 100 times this season, which is more than half as the entire team total, and he's also got more than twice as many carries as anybody else — Matt Breida is second with 37 carries.

The acquisition of Washington gives the Dolphins six pure running backs on the roster, with the others being Jordan Howard, Patrick Laird and rookie Salvon Ahmed.

The only one of the group who's got experience as an NFL lead back is Howard, but his season has been a mess after he arrived as an unrestricted free agent. He has carried the ball only 18 times all season and is averaging less than 1 yard per attempt, and worse was a healthy scratch the past three games.

Could this be his chance to revive his 2020 season? After all, Howard did have success in his previous NFL stops with the Bears and the Eagles.

Will the Dolphins want to see what Ahmed, who recently was promoted from the practice squad can do?

Washington was highly productive at Texas Tech, but he's undersized and has struggled as a runner since a promising rookie season with the Raiders in 2016.

Regardless of who ends up starting, it's safe to envision a scenario where the Dolphins use a lot of different players at running back. That's unless, of course, somebody gets hot, which clearly would be the ideal scenario for the team.

Looking more long term, it's just really difficult to see the Dolphins keeping six running backs on the roster, particularly when you add in fullback Chandler Cox and multi-purpose player Malcolm Perry, who also could carry the ball on occasion.

As for Gaskin being out, his absence shouldn't be overstated.

Yes, he's become the lead back, but he's still averaging less than 4 yards per carry with a long gain of only 21 yards.

The truth is nobody has shined in the running game this season, and the blame can be split between the absence of a difference-maker at running back (hence the pursuit of Le'Veon Bell) and inconsistent or even sub-standard run blocking.

The Dolphins have an awful lot of quantity at running back, even with Gaskin sidelined for a few weeks, but the quality of the work has to improve. Trading a late-round pick (a conditional sixth) for Washington (along with getting a conditional seventh) certainly was a worthwhile gamble because of the low cost.

However this shakes out, though, the Dolphins will need for somebody to step up at running back.