The Dolphins’ Pro Bowl running back will remain in Miami for another year after rewriting his deal.
The Miami Dolphins’ offense revolves around speed. Head coach Mike McDaniels’ scheme is entirely based on the notion that his players are faster than opposing defenders, and this applies to all of the skill position personnel on the team, from wide receivers to running back.
Earlier this summer, the Dolphins signed tight end Jonnu Smith to provide quarterback Tua Tagovailoa with another speed threat down the field, and on Friday, they modified the deal of their Pro Bowl running back. Raheem Mostert’s agent, Brett Tessler, has confirmed that he has signed a one-year agreement with Miami.
Last season, Mostert set career highs in a variety of categories, including running attempts (209), rushing yards (1,012), and rushing touchdowns (18), the latter being the greatest figure in the NFL. Mostert, along with rookie halfback De’Von Achane, wide receivers Tyreek Hill, and Jaylen Waddle, is a crucial member of the league’s fastest offense.
With the starting running back set for the next two seasons, the Dolphins can focus on restocking a defense that lost a lot of talent this offseason.
Mostert’s reworked contract effectively tore up his old deal in favor of a new one, meaning he’ll earn a total of $9.075 million over the next two seasons.
It’s a cheap deal for a running back who just completed his first Pro Bowl season, but Mostert is about to turn 32, which is ancient in running back years. He’s only accrued 766 touches over his nine seasons in the NFL, so he should be fresher than most veteran running backs, but the first thing that tends to go for running backs as they age is their speed.
Nevertheless, Mostert can continue to serve as the lead back for Miami and inhale most of the “bulk work” carries in the offense going forward. That, in turn, will continue to allow the Dolphins to deploy Achane as a home run threat all over the offensive formation.
Covering four elite track burners is hard enough, but McDaniels’ scheme is predicated on pre-snap motions and disguising routes to confuse defenses. When the Dolphins get one of their players into space in the open field, it’s likely going to result in six points.
Mostert is the only one of the four who isn’t particularly versatile, since he lined up as a running back on 97% of his snaps last season. Even yet, having a North-South, one-cut runner is beneficial for an offense that does so much of its damage running East-West.
Miami has a lot to work on this offseason after a disappointing first-round playoff loss and the departure of defensive coordinator Vic Fangio to Philadelphia, but retaining an offensive core that led the NFL in overall offense (401.3 yards per game) is a solid place to start.
They may not be done with speed, too, as they were well represented at Texas’ recent pro day. Wideout Xavier Worthy, who ran a blazing 4.21 in Indianapolis to set the new NFL combine 40-yard record, was one of the high-profile players working out that day. Miami currently possesses the 21st pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.
Source: Brett Tessler.
Leave a Reply