Myles Gaskin

Gaskin entered last season with a chance to establish himself as the RB1 in Miami, but his performance was poor enough that the front office responded this spring by signing three backs with starting experience. A seventh-round pick out of Washington in 2019, Gaskin has done well just to get this far, becoming a competent runner and an above-average pass catcher. His lack of power and speed caught up to him last year, however - or rather, allowed defenders to catch up to him. Only Jamaal Williams averaged fewer yards after contact than Gaskin, and the Dolphins' weak offensive line didn't buy him much room before contact, either. That unit got help this offseason in the form of LT Terron Armstead, but Gaskin might not benefit from the upgrade with Chase Edmonds and Raheem Mostert now ahead of him on the depth chart. The addition of Edmonds is particularly problematic for Gaskin, as the former Cardinal comes with a sizable contract and 128 career receptions to his name.

After showing just enough upside at the end of 2019 to keep a roster spot, Gaskin entered last year with expectations of working in a committee either behind or alongside Jordan Howard and Matt Breida. Instead, the 2019 seventh-round pick made both veterans expendable, seizing the No. 1 job in Week 3 and producing solid numbers until a knee injury suffered Week 8 derailed his momentum. Lower-body injuries have now cost him time in both of his pro seasons, so it's fair to wonder if the 200-pounder is up to the rigors of a starting role that includes a large rushing workload. While not particularly explosive, he's done a nice job rounding out his skill set, emerging as a reliable pass-catching option in 2020. The Dolphins apparently were impressed, declining to add any big names to their backfield this offseason. The team did sign former Ram Malcolm Brown, a durable, physical runner who has plenty of experience but lacks speed and explosiveness. And Gaskin's former college teammate, Salvon Ahmed, returns. Gaskin is no Saquon Barkley himself, but the makeup of Miami's roster gives him at least a slim shot at a three-down role.

The Kenyan Drake trade doesn't look great for the Dolphins, but once he was out of the picture, the team did at least get a chance to look at its other backfield options. Gaskin, a seventh-round pick in last year's draft out of Washington, seemed to be emerging as the cream of that weak crop when his season ended early due to an ankle injury, as he'd piled up 98 rushing yards and a touchdown on 25 carries in Weeks 15 and 16. A little undersized by NFL standards at 5-10, 200, Gaskin's background as a high-school track star makes him dangerous in the open field, and in college he flashed the agility and balance to get through traffic to greener pastures. He's not a decisive runner, however, looking to bounce plays outside too often, and predictably he had more difficulty escaping from NFL tacklers. The Dolphins added Jordan Howard and Matt Breida to the backfield in the offseason, pushing Gaskin back down the depth chart, but he could prove to be an effective change-of-pace option if Breida has trouble staying healthy.

Prior to landing with Miami as a seventh-round draft pick, Gaskin was a workhorse at college in Washington, averaging 236 carries per season across four years and rushing for 1,268 yards in 2018. However, he faces a steep path to regular carries with the Dolphins. The 5-10, 193-pound running back will likely have to beat out Mark Walton and Kenneth Farrow for what projects to be a single roster spot, and even in the event that he cracks the 53-man roster, Kalen Ballage appears to have secured the No. 2 role behind Kenyan Drake.