The Miami Dolphins officially kicked off their 2024 season on Friday night with a home game against the Atlanta Falcons. This was our first opportunity to see the Dolphins in action this season, and our first chance to get a look at what the new season may hold for the team – particularly on offense. While there were some sour notes for the team – particularly the loss of backup offensive lineman Kion Smith for the season with a torn ACL – one young Dolphins’ player shined in his first action.
The Dolphins added running back Jaylen Wright to the fold in the 2024 NFL Draft, taking the former Tennessee Volunteers running back in the fourth round, sacrificing a third-round pick in next year’s draft to the Philadelphia Eagles to do so. In just one game, Wright has already shown that the team made the right choice in adding him to the offense. Wright is a perfect fit for what the Dolphins want to do on offense, and we saw that in spades on Friday night.
While Wright only got ten carries on the night, he made the most of his opportunity with 55 yards. That 5.5 yards per carry average is emblematic of what the Dolphins want to do in their running game – break off big chunks of yards and kill you with explosive plays thanks to their speed. That’s something that Wright did well in college, and we saw it play out in the first preseason game.
Of course, it’s important to remember that Wright wasn’t facing the full arsenal of the Falcons defense, and the defensive schemes employed in the preseason – especially the first game – are rather vanilla. But it’s less about the box score stats and more about the traits Wright was able to display. Of course, the speed was there. Even more encouraging, however, is that the instincts and vision were there.
Wright wasn’t dancing around in the backfield, waiting for a hole to open. He was able to see the field in front of him, process it quickly, and hit the hole before it closed. If Wright can continue to display those traits, it’s going to earn him more playing time.
It wasn't all positive for Wright on the night, though. The young running back did show that he has some development left to go, particularly as a receiving option. Wright bobbled an easy pass out of the backfield, one that he should have caught cleanly. However, he was able to use his vision and athletic ability to turn it into a highlight play.
Playing time might be hard to come by with Raheem Mostert and De’Von Achane already in the backfield, but if Wright can string together performances like that in the regular season, it’ll be hard to keep him off the field.