The Miami Dolphins’ running back stable might be the most improved position group on the offensive side of the football. Sure, Miami aggressively added onto the offensive line group, but many of those talents are unproven at the pro level (three rookies) and two more in Ted Karras and Ereck Flowers that have found irregular success. The running back room? Relative to what it was last year, the Dolphins improved exponentially with the signing of Jordan Howard and the acquisition of Matt Breida from San Francisco for a 2020 5th-round pick.
But while Howard is locked in for 2020 and 2021, Breida is currently on a one-year deal. Are the Dolphins looking to get out in front of an extension?
Not according to a report this past week from Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. Jackson, citing a team source, indicated the Dolphins have yet to make any overtures towards Breida regarding a possible extension to keep him with the team beyond 2020. Breida, who is due $3.3M in salary this season, signed a one-year restricted free agent tender earlier this offseason before being dealt to Miami. In a cruel twist, San Francisco, Breida’s former team, may actually have some regrets about shipping him to Miami after the news came this week that 49ers running back Raheem Mostert has requested a trade from the team. But that’s not the Dolphins’ problem — instead they’ll need to decide whether or not Breida commands a more long-term commitment from them beyond this season.
The events of the 2020 NFL Draft certainly seemed to force the Dolphins’ hand in trading for a veteran back — Miami missed the chance to draft Ohio State RB J.K. Dobbins by one pick in the 2nd-round this past April and then saw the well of backs dry up completely by the time Miami was back on the clock once they picked DL Raekwon Davis.
For the cost of a 5th-round pick, the addition of Breida is well worth it — and if he can stay healthy this season and thrive in a prominent role, he very well may end up becoming an even better value to the Dolphins relative to what you’d typically get from a 5th-round pick. But that, at this point, is up to Breida to make the most of this opportunity with Miami and perform like his next contract depends on it.
Because it does.