This Miami Dolphins season really just comes down to one word. Evaluation.
And as the twists and turns of a typical NFL season are thrown at the 2019 Miami Dolphins, the team continues to pivot and transition seamlessly into the ‘next man up’. They’ve seen it up front along the offensive line, they’ve seen it in the secondary and now they’ll see it in the offensive backfield. The Dolphins’ quarterback situation has already featured two changes to the team’s starting quarterback — and now another change comes due to a different set of circumstances.
The Dolphins’ starting running back role was one wrestled away by former Cincinnati Bengal back Mark Walton over the course of the last month, but Walton has been hit with a suspension from the NFL for his off the field conduct over the course of this past winter and spring and will miss the next four games — leaving a notable vacancy in the Dolphins’ offensive backfield.
The next man up? RB Kalen Ballage, who was given a chance to claim the team’s starting running back role back in training camp but underwhelmed all around. Ballage, who came to Miami as a mid-round pick out of Arizona State, is facing some pressure to start making noise — through his first 20 career games, Ballage is averaging 3.7 yards per carry (just 2.0 on 35 attempts in 2019). That level of production simply won’t fly, especially when his merits as a pass catcher have been watered down by some heinous drops earlier this season.
But with Kenyan Drake in Arizona and Mark Walton suspended, the opportunity lies at Ballage’s feet to pick up the slack and prove his worth to the Dolphins. If he fails — it may prompt the Dolphins to target a mid-round back with some power this upcoming offseason. His first opportunity to play the feature role comes on Sunday against the Indianapolis Colts, who are surrendering 4.6 yards per carry to opposing backs thus far in 2019. Something’s got to break — will it be the Colts’ run defense or Ballage?
