After Lamar Miller made a quick jump to the Texans in free agency, the Dolphins pursued a variety of veteran running backs but haven’t added any of them to their roster.
There have also been reports of interest in Ohio State running back Ezekiel Elliott in the first round of the draft, although General Manager Chris Grier said that the team is comfortable with their current group of running backs in a press conference last week. Coach Adam Gase offered some support for that assessment when he was asked about current No. 1 back Jay Ajayi after Tuesday’s practice kicking off the team’s voluntary minicamp.
“I guess I never realized how shifty he was, and today was a great example,” Gase said, via the Palm Beach Post. “Just seeing him stick his foot in the ground and change direction, you didn’t see him do that a lot in college. Just being able to see him move around, it was very impressive for me to see him in person. The way he cut in some of the run game schemes … I mean, I’m really excited to see what we can do going forward.”
Ajayi ran 49 times for 187 yards and caught seven passes for 90 yards during his rookie season in 2015, so a lead back role would be a significant step up in his second season. Given the team’s interest in other backs and the absence of a surefire complement on the current roster, it seems likely that Miami will be making an addition at some point even though Gase, Grier and company are selling their comfort level with Ajayi.