Whether it happens via the draft or free agency, Cameron Wolfe of ESPN.com expects the Dolphins to acquire a feature running back this offseason. The club is currently rostering 2019 seventh-rounder Myles Gaskin and 2020 UDFA Salvon Ahmed, and while both were useful players last season, Wolfe views them more as complementary pieces than anything else.
We learned last month that there is mutual interest between the Dolphins and Packers RB Aaron Jones, but right now, it appears as if Green Bay might put the franchise tag on Jones. That would leave the Cardinals’ Kenyan Drake and the Seahawks’ Chris Carson as arguably the top RBs eligible for unrestricted free agency. Of those two, Drake — whom Miami traded to Arizona in 2019 — seems more likely to leave his current club.
However, the Dolphins have a number of needs, including at wide receiver — Wolfe expects the team to add at least one starting-caliber wideout — and major free-agent deals for RBs have often been regrettable investments. A one-year flier on a player like Marlon Mack could make sense, but otherwise, the ‘Fins may look to the draft for their RB1.
Although a trade for Deshaun Watson would probably empty out a good chunk of the Dolphins’ premium draft capital in 2021, the team currently boasts four top-50 selections, including No. 3 and No. 18 overall, and that second first-rounder might be ticketed for Alabama RB Najee Harris. Harris was a force on the ground and through the air for the Crimson Tide, and UNC’s Javonte Williams is a similarly appealing option who could be had in the second round.
If the Dolphins don’t trade for Watson, the need to upgrade their skill-position talent around Tua Tagovailoa becomes even more pronounced. While the club is not as flush with cap space this year as it was last year, it has enough cash and certainly enough draft capital to add several significant pieces to the offensive side of the ball.
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