The Miami Dolphins were one of the worst rushing teams in the NFL last season and now Knowshon Moreno could be the top free agent option, while players like Carlos Hyde, Tre Mason, Jeremy Hill, Tyler Gaffney and Bishop Sankey could be in the mix as draft targets for new general manager Dennis Hickey.
The team has a big need at running back after ranking 26th in the NFL last season with Lamar Miller being the feature back and while he was solid in his first year starting, he did not give enough production for the Dolphins and now they could look to add more depth at the position. The team has Mike Gillislee, but he is a question mark, while Miller had 709 yards last season and Thomas finished with 406, while Moreno had his best season with 1,038 yards and 10 touchdowns.
In the draft, the Dolphins could look to the running back position in the second round and names like Carlos Hyde, Tre Mason, Jeremy Hill and Tyler Gaffney could be available when they pick at number 50 overall. Hyde was great last season for Ohio State and he showed that he could be a solid receiver along with a power runner and he finished with 1,521 yards and 15 touchdowns on the season. Mason is fast and was very productive with over 1,800 yards and 23 touchdowns and he could be a good fit as well. Gaffney has experience and toughness, while the team may stay away from Hill after his off the field issues despite the fact that he rushed for 1,401 yards and 16 touchdowns last season.
Moreno had the best season of his career last year with his first 1,000 yard and double digit touchdown season and he showed that he could be a consistent receiver out of the backfield with personal bests of 60 catches for 548 yards and three touchdowns. Moreno struggled a couple years ago and was in the dog house for the Broncos, but he was one of the most productive backs in football last season and he played in all 16 games for the first time since back in his rookie season. This year he had 1,038 yards and 10 touchdowns while averaging a very solid 4.3 yards per carry and now a team like the Steelers could add him to play alongside Le'Veon Bell, while the Dolphins also appear to be a good fit.
Last season the Dolphins ranked near the bottom part of the league in rushing with Daniel Thomas and Lamar Miller as their top two backs and they could use a boost in that area of the offense. The team is totally reshaping the offensive line and that could help give the rushing game a boost as well and a solid running back could help take the burden off quarterback Ryan Tannehill. The team gained less than 100 yards per game last season on the ground and was 26th in the league in rushing and with Miller and Thomas handling the load, the rushing attack was very inconsistent and not productive.
