Jarquez Hunter Opens Up About Joining the Miami Dolphins

Jarquez Hunter Opens Up About Joining the Miami Dolphins

Jarquez Hunter is still getting acclimated to his new surroundings in South Florida.

The 5-foot-10 running back spent last season and this preseason with the Los Angeles Rams after being selected with a fourth-round draft pick. Hunter appeared mainly on special teams last season, appearing in five games.

He was traded to the Miami Dolphins just before the 53-man roster cutdown day. Although he was waived, the Dolphins quickly signed him back to the practice squad. Hunter is currently helping the Dolphins’ active roster players prepare for their game against the San Francisco 49ers in their second consecutive game on the West Coast. The Dolphins stayed out there following their Week 1 game against the Las Vegas Raiders.

“I feel like we’re gonna get better this season,” said Hunter in a one-on-one interview. “It’s a lot of young guys. They’re still learning the game. They’re still learning how to be a pro, and I feel like each and every week I get better and better as they keep learning how to play, keep learning the game, learning how to be a pro.

“They’re young,” Hunter continued. “They’re still trying to figure out the things they need to do or how they want to play it. I feel like as the season goes, I feel like each and every week we’ll get better and better as we get more comfortable with what we’re doing with what the coach is asking us to do or want us to do, or how to do it.”

Hunter was a member of last season’s Rams squad that advanced to the NFC Championship Game. Entering this season, Los Angeles entered the year as Super Bowl betting favorites after adding Myles Garrett and Aaron Donald.

It’s a big change of expectations going from the Rams to the Dolphins, who are widely expected to be the worst team in the NFL. In fact, many are expecting Miami to be one of the worst teams in NFL history.

Hunter played last season for head coach Sean McVay, one of the best coaches in the NFL. McVay has won a Super Bowl and consistently led the Rams as a winning team since he was hired as the youngest head coach in the NFL in 2017.

“I feel like he’s a very smart coach,” said Hunter of McVay. “Sometimes he doesn’t even need a play call. He knows the type of play of what he wants to call and in the role how he want to call it. I feel like as a coach, he loves the game of football. Loves being around ball. He loves coaching players. I can see the time he put ins and the time he puts around being the relationships he built with his players.

“I feel like he’s a great coach,” Hunter continued to say of McVay. “He’s got a great coaching mindset. All his plays, his plays are wonderful. He writes it up to get people open and he has a great game plan to win games.”

The 23-year-old running back is now playing under Jeff Hafley, an experienced 47-year-old coach who is in his first season as an NFL head coach. Hafley tasked with leading the youngest NFL roster with a record dead cap hit.

“I feel like he’s a passionate guy,” said Hunter of Hafley. “I feel like it’s the same thing I said about him with McVay. I feel like he loves the game of football. He loves being around ball. He brings great energy at practice. I’ve only been here a couple weeks, I feel like he brings great energy at practice. I feel like he loves the game of football and he loves building relationships with his players, like building great relationships. It’s a young team. He tries to pick the young guys up because a lot of them got to play because we’re so young, and I feel like he loves just pushing this player and just talking to him. He sounds like a great dude. I feel like he gave me great advice when I got here, just telling me that I got to work hard, to just compete. He’s good.”

Hunter details where he wants to improve the most and where he feels it could lead to him getting a promotion to the active roster.

“My biggest thing I want to improve in, I know I can run the ball. My biggest thing probably is just picking up the pass concepts and then just picking up the blitzes, picking up the protection, the pass protection. My biggest traits that I think I have — I’m powerful, I’m strong. I’m a very north and south runner. I can get the dirty yards, and I feel like I got breakaway speed. I feel like I’m fast enough to get away from defenders.”

The second-year running back is partnering up with Boot Barn, a retail store that specializes in Western wear, workwear and boots. The partnership is a perfect one considering Hunter is a self-described country guy from Mississippi.

“I feel like it was a great opportunity to express myself with me liking to be outdoors and the country things I like to do,” said Hunter. “I like to be around the animals and I like to wear the jeans and the boots. I feel like it’s a great way to express myself.”

When asked what his favorite product from Boot Barn is, Hunter kept it simple and said it’s the boots.