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Miami Dolphins RB Raheem Mostert Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports

Dolphins RB Raheem Mostert is rising above the rumors

By Michael Isaac Jacobs | Last updated 9/24/23

Sometimes, the best trades are the ones that are never made. Miami Dolphins running back Raheem Mostert had to endure three rounds of open flirtations by team management with other teams' stars.

First, there were rumblings that the Dolphins wanted to acquire Las Vegas Raiders RB Josh Jacobs. Then, it was another eligible bachelor in free-agent Dalvin Cook, who would later sign a pact with the New York Jets. This was followed by Miami's courtship with Indianapolis Colts rusher Jonathan Taylor.

Ultimately, the Dolphins decided not to cheat on Mostert and for his part, the man who scored four touchdowns Sunday in a 50-point rout of the Denver Broncos, remained faithful to the team that gave him a two-year deal this past offseason to continue his career in Miami.

"Outstanding focus," Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel said, as per NBC Sports Michael David Smith. "I couldn't highlight a guy in a better light. He's someone that's directly heard a ton of noise for months and months and months. It's almost like every day that it's loud, you see extra focus, and that epitomizes the journey of an NFL player."

Mostert's play through Week 3 of the season has brought thunder with authority. He runs hard and through would-be tacklers. Mostert is a confident ball carrier and cuts back through holes that don't seem open with track star speed. Some highlights of his impressive start: six rushing touchdowns plus one receiving, almost six yards a carry and zero fumbles.

More importantly, the guy looks like he's a high schooler having the time of his life. He's even a bit clairvoyant. Here's how he entered Hard Rock Stadium before the Broncos game:

.@RMos_8Ball gonna catch some waves today ‍♂️ pic.twitter.com/uftclpRwkh
— Miami Dolphins (@MiamiDolphins) September 24, 2023

The Dolphins offense rode Mostert's positive momentum, but didn't hang 10; they hung 70 points on the visitors on a record-breaking day. Now that Dolphins players have had over a year to acclimatize themselves to the rhythm of McDaniel's play-calling, it is extremely apparent that they can be historic.

The Dolphins totaled 726 yards of total offense against the Broncos, the most since the merger. They even had a chance to break the all-time scoring record, but McDaniel showed that he is a class act, instead – despite what Dolphins fans wanted in that moment.

"That’s not what we came to the game to do. That doesn’t have a bearing on the overall season outcome. I saw it as . . . 10 times out of 10 you concede and kneel down in those situations," McDaniel said, as per NBC Sports Josh Alper. "Because there was an attainable record, that was cool, but I thought the message I thought it would send wasn’t really in line with how I view things."

Since the Dolphins decided not to cause any waves by bringing in another back, the view of their RB room couldn't be clearer. With Salvon Ahmed inactive for the Broncos game, Mostert and rookie De'Von Achane, who also accounted for four TDs against the Broncos and gained over 200 yards on the ground, got the bulk of the workload. The Dolphins also have Jeff Wilson, Jr., who is on injured reserve for another week and should return by Week 5.

Mostert, though, is now the undisputed alpha dawg of the Dolphins RB personnel, which perfectly compliments their dangerous passing attack led by quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. He is taking pride in shepherding Achane through his rookie season.

"The guy’s just a sponge," Mostert said, as per USA Today's Mike Masala. "He comes in, he understands the assignments, he understands the playcalling, he understands what he has to do. I give him crap here and there because he’s the rookie. I gotta do that. I gotta do my part."

Mostert has done more than what could have been expected for someone who was almost supplanted by his boss via a trade for a big-name replacement. It takes a special kind of person to rise above media questions about job security with an extraordinary response and the Dolphins had that guy in Mostert all along.

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