Former Notre Dame Star Jonas Gray Shines on National TV
By Jason Marcum
The Miami Dolphins will be searching for a new featured running back this year after Reggie Bush departed in free agency this offseason. As of now, Lamar Miller is expected to start, with Daniel Thomas and rookie Mike Gilleslie competing for backup snaps. But if you watched the Dolphins play tonight, you might have thought the best back on the roster wasn’t any of those three, but was instead Jonas Grey.
The former Notre Dame standout spent all of last season rehabbing a torn ACL he suffered as a senior at Notre Dame. During his 2011 senior year, Gray appeared in 11 games prior to the injury, carrying the ball 114 times for 812 yards with a team high 12 rushing touchdowns.
Now he must produce in the exhibition season to earn a spot on the 53-man roster or practice squad. His ability to run with power is intriguing. At 5’9″, 225 pounds, he’s a little smaller than Thomas (6’1″, 223), but has a good amount of bulk for his size and plays with a mean-streak that could help provide that power back option in Miami’s offense.
Gray finished the night with seven rushes for a team-high 41 yards and caught four balls for 35 yards. Remember his name.