The Miami Dolphins’ offensive backfield doesn’t look very much like what everyone would have anticipated through the first three games of the 2020 NFL season. Miami, after spending considerably to acquire RB Jordan Howard in free agency and trading for Matt Breida in the 2020 NFL Draft, has proceeded to give the vast majority of their carries to 2019 7th-round pick Myles Gaskin. Gaskin, who was a 4-year letterman at the University of Washington and logged over 4,000 career rushing yards, has been Miami’s most reliable and versatile back.
How? Why? And more importantly, can he do it for the long-haul as Miami’s long-term feature back?
Gaskin brings receiving skills, quick feet, good vision and effective pass protection; which is exactly why he’s become Miami’s top option out of the backfield. With so many roles needing to be filled, Miami is gravitating towards Gaskin’s versatility to avoid tipping off the defense to what play calls may be coming on any given down. For example, Jordan Howard being on the field is a clear indicator of short yardage runs or heavy packages. With Gaskin, Miami can still run from the shotgun and provide more advantageous angles for Miami’s blockers; which gives the team a better chance of success.
If Miami’s polish as a run-blocking team were better and stayed cleaner on blocks, perhaps it would be a different story. But with the limitations Miami’s ground game currently showcases, the team needs every advantage they can get.
So, can Gaskin play this role in the long haul?
He could. They say that running backs aren’t too hard to find and it seems as though Miami has secured one for themselves via a 7th-round pick. But Gaskin was a 7th-rounder for a reason; he’s more quick than fast and as the Dolphins look to secure a more explosive running game, a more dynamic athlete at running back may be required to create more big plays. The Dolphins would need a true height/weight/speed option to make that happen; think the relative speed of Breida in a player closer to the size of Jordan Howard.
In the meantime, there’s little reason to think Myles Gaskin can’t continue to be Miami’s top back — as he’s the player they need right now to make the running game work best.
