NFL Draft: Dolphins not considering a running back is a mistake

Miami Dolphins officials say they are “happy” with the current group of running backs, which should make fans nervous entering the NFL Draft.

For decades now, fans of the Miami Dolphins have experienced the joys of watching their offense be one-dimensional with the lack of a running back that can actually run the ball for positive yardage. Okay, maybe that last part was a slight exaggeration, but the Dolphins have had a back go for over 1,100 yards in a season just five times since 1980 (and three of those times were from Ricky Williams).

After losing last year’s starter and 1,000 rusher, Lamar Miller, to free agency and the Houston Texans, the Dolphins seemed to lose out on every free agent running back that was out there, including names like Chris Johnson, Matt Forte and C.J. Anderson (who signed a deal that was match be the Denver Broncos).

Now, with the NFL Draft just under a week away, fans of the Dolphins can enjoy this little comment that came across Twitter feeds Friday:

Now, most Dolphins fans like myself were screaming at their laptops and PC’s after reading that headline. Further examination shows that new general manager Chris Grier thinks the running backs they have on the roster at this moment work perfectly with new head coach Adam Gase and his system.

Please, Dolphins front office…tell me which running back you’re talking about. Is it Jay Ajayi, who spent most of his rookie season injured and ran for 187 yards on 49 carries when he was on the field? Or is it Daniel Thomas, a man who is now on his third stint with the team after being cut in favor of Knowshon Moreno…before being signed and then cut again.

I’m not even going to go into the other two players currently on the roster (Damien Williams or Isaiah Pead) because, quite frankly, their resumes aren’t worth wasting words. For an organization that was all about having a balanced offense when they were winning (which would explain a lot), it’s as if they have taken a knee when it comes to running the ball.

Several mock drafts have the Dolphins in the running for Ohio State back Ezekiel Elliott. I’m not going to sit here and tell you that Elliott would be a sure thing, but he’s certainly (at this point) better than anything the Dolphins currently have on their roster. For a team that needs help on offense, why wouldn’t you want to take the best player at a position of need?

For all we know, the Miami Dolphins could end up drafting Elliott at the last minute (they have had him in for workouts along with other prospects) or pick a running back in the later rounds. But, when you hear the man who is going to make that call saying he is comfortable with the running backs currently there, you have to panic.

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