Veteran Running Back Might Be Biggest Surprise of Camp

Miami Dolphins running back Alexander Mattison has been one of the biggest surprises during training camp so far. 

The team signed Mattison from the Raiders this offseason, and he was mostly seen as a short-yardage specialist. He’s always been a tough runner, and he really struggled to generate explosive plays in Las Vegas last season. 

He had just seven rushes go for more than 10 yards with the Raiders. 

However, Mattison has consistently ripped off big runs during practice, and running backs coach Eric Studesville credits Mattison’s well-rounded skill set. 

“Sometimes people get labeled and put in a certain hole, and that may not necessarily be what the hole is,” Studesville told reporters Monday. “Sometimes you've got to give them a clean slate to show what they can do. You know, give them a chance to determine what their role is. Don't say, ‘Hey, he can only do this, and that's why we got him in here.’ Well, maybe he can do some other things.”

The Dolphins certainly have given Mattison opportunities to do other things. He’s gotten his short-yardage work, but the team has used him plenty in traditional run game concepts, and he’s shown up as a pass protector. 

“He's come in, he's run the ball well in some opportunities that we've had,” Studesville said. “He's picked up the protection stuff really well. He's really, really sharp. He's incredibly professional in how he handles and goes about his business.” 

Mattison’s Place in the RB Room 

With Mattison impressing so much during camp, it’s fair to re-evaluate where he lands on the depth chart. Before camp started, most would have guessed that Mattison was on the roster bubble. 

De’Von Achane was locked in at RB1, and the team invested a lot into Jaylen Wright, along with selecting Ollie Gordon II in the sixth round of the 2025 draft.

Mattison had a role, but he was far from locked into the rotation. Now, it would be shocking to see him not make the final roster. In fact, it seems more likely that he could compete with Wright for RB2 touches at some point. 

The Dolphins certainly want him to prepare for a bigger role. 

“If you haven't prepared him to do more, then is he at fault, or am I at fault?” Studesville said about Mattison. “I think I'm at fault then if I haven't prepared him and haven't exposed him to everything. Because if we need to go in a game, and he's got to carry it 25 times in the game and play the whole time, I don't want that based on just short-yardage reps because that's what we said he was when he came in.” 

It will be incredibly interesting to see how the Dolphins handle the running back room if Mattison continues playing well. Achane still will get most of the carries, but given what the Dolphins invested in Wright, they might be inclined to play him over Mattison. 

Still, it’s hard not to wonder if a team that wants to focus more on physicality and culture will put that aside and at least start the season with Mattison being a more prominent part of the offense. 

It’s still early in camp, and we’ll likely learn a lot more by how carries are distributed during preseason games, but don’t count out Mattison in the team’s running back rotation this season.