The Miami Dolphins are a team of great intrigue for me this NFL season. Do they collapse in on themselves or do they refuse to lose? Mike McDaniel is one of my favorite head coaches in the sport because he is able to relate to everyone. He is a former Yale wide receiver and a Denver Broncos ball boy, stemming from the Mike Shanahan coaching tree. I think I trust him when it comes to offense.
So when the Dolphins drafted former Oklahoma State star Ollie Gordon in the sixth round of last month's 2025 NFL Draft, I was pleasantly surprised to see him go there. His final year in Stillwater did not go according to plan. Mike Gundy getting head-butted in the eye by one of his cattle is an apt comparison for how things went for the Pokes in Big 12 play last season. Gordon is still a dude, man. Of course, with him coming into the league, that means he will be taking somebody's reps. That looks to be the case with former Las Vegas Raiders running back and long-time Minnesota Vikings playmaker Alexander Mattison.
If anybody can find ways to keep both electric ball carriers satisfied with the amount of touches they are getting, it is McDaniel. Then again, dysfunction is bred in Miami... Here is why Mattison might not be for long Miami, especially if Gordon hits the ground running.
Ollie Gordon II could push Alexander Mattison for playing time in Miami
What people tend to forget about Mattison was he was a complementary running back for the Vikings in the back-end of Dalvin Cook's prime. He was largely unknown coming into the NFL, but certainly made a name for himself playing in the Twin Cities. To be quite frank, I totally forgot that he played for the Raiders last year. Then again, that was just the kind of the year the Silver and Black had.
He may have only come over to the Dolphins on a one-year deal worth a shade over $1.3 million, but Gordon has age and recent college football success on his side. Mattison is still on the good side of 30, but this will be year seven for him out of Boise State. Running back is a brutally physical position. Even the best athletes do not have much staying power playing it. Derrick Henry is the outlier today.
Again, this may be all part of the plan for Miami. This is so much riding on this season. I would argue that not just McDaniel's job is on the line, but so would general manager Chris Grier's, and to some extent Tua Tagovailoa's overall viability as a trusted NFL starter. He is not my favorite franchise quarterback, but I guess he still technically is one for Miami. That is why handing the ball off is key.
The best way for the Dolphins forward is to become more ground-centric to keep Tagovailoa healthy.