Why Mattison Could Become Key Under-the-Radar Pick-Up

Alexander Mattison’s one-year, $1.3 million deal ranks among Miami’s cheapest offseason moves, yet the seventh-year back may help solve one of the offense’s biggest flaws: short-yardage inconsistency.

While the offense as a whole regressed last season, dropping from second to 23rd in yards per play, short-yardage struggles have been a steady issue under Mike McDaniel. At 5-11 and 220 pounds, Mattison brings a more physical profile than any back Miami rostered in 2024.

Mattison, a 2019 third-round pick by the Vikings, has topped 130 rushing attempts in three of the past four seasons, including last year with the Raiders. His 3.2 yards per carry on 132 attempts doesn’t match the typical explosiveness the Dolphins look for at running back, but he converted 12 of 16 third- or fourth-down runs when needing two or fewer yards.

These were the moments Miami’s offense was at its weakest. The Dolphins were ranked No. 31 on third-and-1 rushes (55 percent success rate) and failed on all three fourth-and-1 attempts last season. Even with one of the league’s top offenses in 2023, Miami went just 7-for-14 when running the ball on third- or fourth-and-1.

McDaniel’s offense has flashed a high ceiling, but short-yardage woes seem to be a structural issue. Instead of relying on 187-pound De’Von Achane to push through traffic, or trick plays involving Tyreek Hill on fourth-and-1, as they did against the Tennessee Titans in Week 4, Mattison offers a straightforward, ground-and-pound option up the middle.

Broken tackles were rare last season. The Dolphins averaged just one every 34.5 rushing attempts, per Pro Football Reference. Both Mattison and Achane forced seven missed tackles, but Achane did so once every 29 carries, while Mattison broke one every 18.9 carries.

Miami made other moves to win at the line of scrimmage, adding guards James Daniels and rookie Jonah Savaiinaea to support Aaron Brewer, one of the league’s smaller centers. Achane enters his third season as arguably the offense’s most dynamic weapon, but Mattison’s ability to break tackles and push the pile adds a physical dimension to Miami’s rushing attack.

Built for More Than Short-Yardage Situations

Mattison brings not only the short-yardage skills Miami needs, but also the versatility McDaniel wants in a playmaker.

The Dolphins finished each of the past two seasons in the top five in targets to running backs, according to Fantasy Pros. De’Von Achane saw 87 targets last year, which ranked second behind only Alvin Kamara. Achane caught nearly 90 percent of those passes and emerged as one of the league’s top receivers at the position, finishing with 592 yards and six touchdowns through the air.

Still, with Raheem Mostert’s 20-plus targets from last season now available, Miami needed another option to lighten his workload.

Mattison has been a reliable receiving option throughout his career. He’s been targeted at least 44 times in back-to-back seasons and caught 36 passes for 294 yards and a touchdown for the Raiders in 2024. He’s dropped just 12 career passes and, behind Achane, enters the new season as the room’s most experienced receiving threat.

In his rookie year, Jaylen Wright was targeted six times, catching three passes for just eight yards. His workload may grow in Year 2, but he’s never been featured as a receiver. In college, he caught more than two passes just four times throughout his three seasons in the SEC with the Tennessee Volunteers. 

While Mattison is bigger than any of last season’s running backs, the same is true for 6-1, 226-pound sixth-round pick Ollie Gordon. That said, the 2023 Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year will need to stand out in training camp to earn the coaching staff’s trust as an option in crucial short-yardage or third-down situations.

Miami built one of the league’s most creative offenses under McDaniel, but with three years of film to study, defenses are finding more ways to slow it down, especially in short-yardage situations. Signing Mattison is a pivot from Miami’s quick-strike, perimeter-heavy approach to a physical counterpunch that the offense previously lacked.

On top of that, if Mattison is reliable on the ground, his layered skill set gives McDaniel a back who can punish defenses between the tackles and slip out as a receiving threat to keep them honest.

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