Miami Dolphins: Is 2019 the Year of the Running Back?

For the Miami Dolphins, the 2019 season is viewed by many as a test run. With so many questions about the direction of the team, the commitment to long-term success has slowed progress. Too many years of the Dolphins trying to piece together something that resembles a football team hasn’t changed their fortunes in the win column. Now, 2019 the team is finally shaking its core right down to the very foundation and challenging the way they make decisions about players and personnel.

The team has been without a true franchise quarterback, but in 2019 running back might be the most important position. With two potential studs already on the roster, two more drafted in the 2019 NFL Draft, and a couple added via free agency the Dolphins will enter training camp with six spots dedicated to the position. While that’s the typical number of roster spots committed to the roster in most camps, it was the focus on the position that sticks out.

Instead of hitting the free agent market to fill too many roster spots, the Miami Dolphins on back-to-back picks selected running backs in the seventh round this year. Sure, seventh round players are often special teams players if they make the squad and practice squad players if they don’t. However, with this year’s Dolphins team nothing will be ordinary. Brian Flores and company look to take a much different approach than we’ve seen in the past and we’re okay with that. A culture changed has been preached for years but the results have been the same.

So why focus on running back so heavily in the offseason with Kenyan Drake and Kallen Ballage already making waves and flashing potential? Simple, the quarterback position. While all eyes will be focused on Ryan Fitzpatrick’s and Josh Rosen’s play this summer, the coaches seem to know better. No great quarterback can win without a good run game. If Dan Marino ever had a 1,000-yard rusher maybe he wouldn’t have missed out on a Super Bowl ring.

That being said, not only does a strong run game balance the offense out, but a pass catcher out of the backfield helps the quarterback bail out when pressure is barreling down on him. Speaking of pressure, if you want a quarterback to develop chemistry with his receivers and pick up the speed of the game, running backs who can pick up blocks and give your quarterback more time are a must. Maybe that’s why the Dolphins drafted a full back (Chandler Cox) for the first time in years.

2019 may or may not be a throwaway year for the Miami Dolphins but the new regime has one thing on their mind, development. If the team wants to be successful, they’ll need to draft and develop young talent to come in and make the difference over the long haul. To do that, they’ve stockpiled picks and brought in players who will set the example for the younger guys. Since franchise quarterback is probably circled in red 200 times on the team’s future plans, securing a stable of running backs to make their future easier is probably their first step. The question is which RB will step up for the Miami Dolphins this season?