Remember the time Alexander Mattison led the Minnesota Vikings in rushing? Yeah, life is much better with Aaron Jones now at the head of the attack. As for Mattison, his career trajectory has proven the Vikings correct for aggressively seeking an upgrade.
Mattison spent the 2024 season with the Las Vegas Raiders. He managed just 420 yards in that offense. Now, he's with the Dolphins where there's a distinct chance he figures as RB4. He might even be a cut candidate after signing a one-year deal at the veteran minimum.
De'Von Achane is clearly the No. 1 back in Miami. He's had more yards in each of his first two seasons than Mattison's career-high.
Then there's Jaylen Wright, who Raheem Mostert described as "truly something special" despite his limited rookie production. Even if Wright doesn't reach his potential, the Dolphins found a potential sleeper in Ollie Gordon in the sixth round this year.
In an especially deep RB class, Gordon slipped to Day 3, but let's not forget he was a Unanimous All-American as a sophomore in college with 2,062 yards and 22 touchdowns from scrimmage.
Alexander Mattison has looked expendable since leaving the Vikings
Achane, Wright and Gordon were each drafted by the Dolphins. They have more reason to keep them around than Mattison.
Ostensibly, the Dolphins added Mattison as a veteran presence in a particularly young running back room. So I'd argue his likelihood of being cut is relatively low, but the fact that it exists at all speaks to a steep fall for a former third-round back who started 13 games for the Vikings two years ago. Once again, his ceiling is RB2.
Mattison was a fine support back in Minnesota after being drafted in the third round in 2019. That third-round grade on him hasn't aged well, but getting 400+ yards from your No. 2 is certainly not a bust.
Still, the ideal scenario would have Mattison graduating from that secondary role into a starring one. When he got his chance, he only proved his ceiling was far too low. Nothing has changed about that since.