MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Of all the vexing Miami Dolphins stats in their Week 8 loss to the Arizona Cardinals, none was more confounding than this:
Jaylen Wright, the ascending rookie running back, had just two carries on three offensive snaps.
There’s no good rationale at this point why Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel is keeping Wright — who leads all Miami running backs in yards per carry (5.3) — on the bench.
But based on McDaniel’s comments during his day-after news conference, that mistake could get rectified as soon as Week 9 against the Buffalo Bills.
New Role for Miami Dolphins RB Jaylen Wright?
“I would have been surprised if you guys would have told me, ‘Yeah, he had two carries,'” McDaniel told reporters Monday. “I would like, ‘What? What happened?’ That wasn’t the plan going in.
“However, there’s things that unfold, and 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. Been on the other side of that. But absolutely, without a shadow of a doubt, [Wright] can help us and will and [I] will make the necessary adjustments to make sure that he can contribute his skill set.”
If McDaniel sticks to that pledge, Wright’s increased playing time will have to come at the expense of someone. And that someone probably isn’t De’Von Achane, whose 601 yards from scrimmage and three offensive touchdowns lead the team.
The only other option is Raheem Mostert, who is averaging a career-worst 3.5 yards per carry in an injury-impacted season. Mostert on Sunday needed nine carries to total 19 yards (although in fairness, two of those nine attempts resulted in touchdowns).
But Mostert has hard-earned credibility with McDaniel that Wright is still earning. This is their eighth season together, so McDaniel trusts that Mostert will do what’s asked of him implicitly.
That’s certainly a big reason why Mostert has been on the field for 35 more snaps than Wright this year despite appearing in two fewer games.
But at what point should upside outweigh faith?
We might soon be getting to that point with McDaniel. Wright averages nearly a yard more after contact than Mostert does, suggesting the rookie is finishing runs at a far more efficient rate.
“He shows up, he’s explosive and, definitely for a young guy, it’s cool to see him step into that role,” said Dolphins fullback Alec Ingold. “Whenever he touches the ball he does something with it.”
McDaniel added: “The more you see guys like Jaylen Wright continuing to make plays, the more pressure there is for us to find a way to get them involved. … I would expect [Wright and rookie pass rusher Mohamed Kamara] in particular to be able to contribute and help us, because we need them to.”