The Dolphins had issues on offense throughout the 2013 season and after Mike Wallace came up in trade rumors in the offseason this year, that has come up again and the team is looking to trade Wallace and teams like the Oakland Raiders, Philadelphia Eagles, Dallas Cowboys and Chicago Bears could be interested, while the team may also try to deal Cameron Wake and Dion Jordan.
According to Pro Football Talk, those names have come up this offseason and after signing Knowshon Moreno the team could opt to make a deal. The Miami Dolphins were one of the worst rushing teams in the NFL last season and that has led the franchise to target Knowshon Moreno, Maurice Jones-Drew and Andre Brown as potential free agent options along with prospects like Carlos Hyde, Tre Mason, De'Anthony Thomas and Jeremy Hill in the draft coming in May. Update, the Dolphins have signed Knowshon Moreno to a one-year deal worth $3 million.
The team was ranked 26th in the NFL last season in rushing with just 90 yards per game and Daniel Thomas and Lamar Miller were the two feature backs and they did not get much production throughout the season. According to ESPN.com, the Dolphins met with Moreno and have looked into Jones-Drew and while no deals have gone down yet, the team could look to sign one of those players over the next week or so. Jones-Drew may remain on the market until the summer, while the Dolphins may get to work on looking at a player they could snag in the draft.
Hyde and Mason were very productive last season and the Ohio State running back is considered by many to be the best one in the draft. Last season Hyde had over 1,500 yards and added 15 touchdowns and he is a powerful runner that also showed he can catch passed out of the backfield. Adding that element to the offense would be big for the development of Ryan Tannehill and the Dolphins are also reshaping the offensive line after the team gave up nearly 60 sacks last season and that has to improve. The team signed Branden Albert at left tackle and he is one of the best players at his position in the league and that will benefit the running game as well.
Mason was a breakout star last season and he had 1,816 yards rushing with 23 touchdowns for Auburn as they made it to the championship game and while he has some wear on him coming into the league, he could be a solid fit for the Dolphins. Bishop Sankey is another name to watch along with Hill, who rushed for 1,401 yards and 16 touchdowns, but the LSU star may not get drafted by the Dolphins after he had some off the field issues with a bar fight and the team can't deal with that negativity after the problems that arose last season.
General manager Dennis Hickey has said that the team will address the rushing game in the offseason and this comes after the team scored just seven points over the final two games of the season last year as they tried to make the playoffs. Moreno had his best season as a pro with over 1,000 yards for the first time in his career and he scored 10 touchdowns while averaging over 4.0 yards per carry. The Broncos have said they are open to bringing him back at the right price and now it looks like the Dolphins are the best fit for him. Jones-Drew had over 800 yards last season, but he is getting old and unless he signs at a low price, the Dolphins will likely pass.
