Tag: Kalen Ballage

Jets trade for Adam Gase-era Dolphins running back

The Jets have added another former Dolphin to their running back room.

The Jets have added another former Dolphin to their running back room.

New York traded a conditional late-round pick to Miami for Kalen Ballage on Thursday, according to multiple reports. The Dolphins were planning to release Ballage, but the Jets swooped in with the opportunity for Miami to possibly get something in return for the running back.

Ballage, 24, is entering just his third year in the NFL after the Dolphins made him a fourth-round pick in 2018. The Arizona State product did little for Miami last year, rushing for 135 yards and three touchdowns in 12 games. However, Ballage proved useful over limited looks as a rookie when Adam Gase was still the Dolphins’ head coach. He averaged 5.3 yards per carry on 36 attempts in 2018.

Ballage, who also has some experience returning punts, is likely a longshot to make the Jets’ 53-man roster. With Le’Veon Bell, Frank Gore and La’Mical Perine all locks to make the team, there’s not much room in New York’s backfield. Gore also played for Gase and with Ballage in Miami.

In addition to Ballage, the Jets have Pete Guerriero and Josh Adams as depth pieces.

Miami Dolphins cut running back Kalen Ballage

Miami Dolphins cut running back Kalen Ballage

The Miami Dolphins informed veteran running back Kalen Ballage that the team was releasing him last night, the latest roster move that turns the team’s running back room upside down from where it was just a year ago. The news of Ballage’s release came out late last night and his departure is one that won’t necessarily be a hard pill to swallow for Dolphins fans.

Ballage, who was a 4th-round pick of the team, was nothing close to what he was advertised to be coming out of Arizona State. The monstrous running back was billed as a powerful runner and a very good receiver out of the backfield — so much so that there were some in the NFL Draft industry who felt he may be well served to convert to wide receiver. Ultimately, Ballage’s lack of vision, instincts and lateral quickness proved to be crippling deficiencies behind Miami’s offensive line.

Between his two seasons in Miami, Ballage carried the ball 110 times in 24 games, managing to rip off one 75-yard touchdown romp against the Minnesota Vikings near the end of his rookie season. His other 109 carries? They produced 251 rushing yards (a 2.30 yards per carry average). The worst feature backs in the NFL typically average 3 to 3.5 — Ballage wasn’t just bad as a runner, he was abysmal. Add in a 14% drop rate on 35 career targets in the passing game and it isn’t hard to see why Miami chose to go a different direction, especially with veteran RB Jordan Howard now in the mix for the Dolphins.

As for Ballage, he’ll likely get looks as a potential short-yardage back. With his size at 231 pounds, he does have the strength to fall forward in gaps and perhaps could find a niche for someone near the goal line. But if anyone is expecting a primary ball carrier role in his future, they must know something that no one else does.

Which Dolphins player needs to bounce back after Day 1 of pads?

Which Dolphins player needs to bounce back after Day 1 of pads?

Yesterday’s padded practices are in the books for the Miami Dolphins and things are at the very least starting to feel somewhat normal on the gridiron. The accessibility for training camp isn’t what you’d find during a standard year and the Dolphins media even has new restrictions on what can and cannot be shared from the team facilities — no tweeting about plays or first-string options.

It’s a new challenge, but a welcomed challenge when you consider that the pads are back on and legitimate football is taking place. One thing that can be talked about? Some of the standout performers from each practice — for better or for worse.

Which Miami Dolphins player most needs to bounce back in a big way after the first round of practice?

Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports

RB Kalen Ballage

Ballage was stripped by DB Eric Rowe during yesterday’s practice, an honest mistake. But mistakes a troubling trend in Ballage’s game going back to the 2019 season, where he constantly struggled with drops and ball security all while logging a paltry 1.8 yards per carry average over 74 carries. Ballage also struggled to make plays last season when Miami needed him to — he was credited with just one broken tackle last year on 88 total touches and logged four drops on 24 targets in the passing game. 

It was, by all accounts, a brutal year for Ballage. And that was before his season ended early with a leg injury against the Philadelphia Eagles.

But with Miami bringing in Jordan Howard, Matt Breida and Malcolm Perry, the third-year back cannot afford to continue logging practices like yesterday, where he didn’t only fumble but also let the ball hit the ground on a targeted pass.

Ballage’s best path to making the roster is as a potential short-yardage backup to Jordan Howard or as a pass-catching specialist out of the backfield. But with him coming up short in both areas last year as well as yesterday, there’s going to need to be a big turnaround in order for him to find a role for the team in 2020.

Miami Dolphins 2020 training camp preview: Running Backs

Miami Dolphins 2020 training camp preview: Running Backs

In just over three weeks, the Miami Dolphins will open training camp for the 2020 season ahead — and with it face the prospect of building upon a promising “foundation” year in 2020. The Miami Dolphins surprised everyone last season with a 5-4 stretch to finish the season and promptly followed suit by nailing down one of the most prolific college quarterbacks in recent history, plus a slew of new faces to add to the team.

The Dolphins will hold camp this year with fan enthusiasm as high as it has been in quite some time. But amid the restrictions of this offseason due to the ongoing health crisis, can the Dolphins rise to the challenge? We’ll be taking a look at each position group for the Miami Dolphins ahead of the start of training camp and exploring which storylines are most pressing to monitor as the Dolphins look to improve in year two under Brian Flores.

Here are the Dolphins’ key storylines in training camp at the running back position.

Will Kalen Ballage make the roster in 2020?

Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

Simply based on investment, Kalen Ballage should be this team’s third running back. Miami spent a 4th-round pick on Ballage back in 2018 — recently enough that the team may still have hope for the former Arizona State Sun Devil. But if you subtract Ballage’s 75-yard touchdown romp against Minnesota in December of 2018, Ballage’s career with the Dolphins adds up to 109 carries for 251 rushing yards (2.30 yards per carry).

Ballage was well regarded ahead of the 2018 draft for his receiving skills as well, but Ballage struggled in that front in 2019 as well — he logged four drops on 24 total targets last season.

Can he convince the Dolphins to keep him on the roster? Or will the Dolphins have too hard of a time forgetting a terrible 2019 campaign and defer to Myles Gaskin or Patrick Laird as the team’s third running back behind Matt Breida and Jordan Howard?

Pages: Page 1, Page 2, Page 3

Which Miami Dolphins veteran is most likely to be cut ahead of camp?

Which Miami Dolphins veteran is most likely to be cut ahead of camp?

With the rumors swirling that NFL teams may be facing cuts ahead of training camp this season in an effort to manage the ongoing concerns regarding the coronavirus pandemic, the Miami Dolphins may have to start asking themselves some difficult questions. Among them, who is a must to bring into training camp and what players have we already seen enough of to know they’re not likely going to make the roster.

For new talent, that is a unique and challenging proposition. But there are some established talents on the Miami Dolphins’ roster that can give the impression that they are what they are. Quarterback Josh Rosen has been a frustrating experiment between his tenures in Arizona and Miami. The Dolphins have had the chance to see TE Michael Roberts’ film from his time in Detroit — he wasn’t able to stick there. But of all the talents that Miami knows probably aren’t going to command a high-prized role on the roster, none seem more obvious that RB Kalen Ballage.

Ballage, who was a former mid-round draft selection from the Dolphins, was supposed to have the chance to claim the Dolphins’ starting running back title last fall. Instead, Ballage stumbled through 12 games and eventually found himself on injured reserve — but not before he logged 1.8 yards per carry over 74 carries and provided some frustration in the passing game along the way. Ballage, who coming out of Arizona State was considered a strong enough pass catcher that some suggested he transition to receiver, suffered drops and a general lack of awareness of when the ball might be coming his way.

In a lot of ways, his 2019 season was a disaster. And a seemingly bad attitude didn’t help, either. In early November, Ballage claimed he had “nothing to prove” despite his horrid production; averaging 2.0 yards per carry at the time. By the time his season was over, that average got worse.

Considering the Dolphins’ ambitious overhaul of the running back room with Matt Breida and Jordan Howard, the Dolphins may feel Ballage is an expendable player sooner rather than later in favor of keeping another young, unknown asset. Training camp is set to open on July 28th, so we’ll get some clarity on if the Dolphins are required to cut down their roster ahead of time in the near future. If they must trim some fat, Ballage might not be a bad place to start.

Dolphins make slew of roster moves ahead of Week 14

The Miami Dolphins have placed RB Kalen Ballage on injured reserve, cut S Montre Hartage and filed two waiver claims this week.

The Miami Dolphins are being forced to shuffle the deck once more due to injuries and performance on the field. Miami made two swaps of players on the 53-man roster yesterday, one on the heels of yet another injury and the other based on an early sample size for life in the NFL.

The Dolphins departing players are two youngsters — running back Kalen Ballage has been transitioned onto injured reserve after an injury suffered against the Eagles, while the Dolphins have cut UDFA rookie Montre Hartage after just one game on the active roster.

The Dolphins’ replacements include two fresh faces, there are no practice squad call-ups for the Dolphins in this round of changes. Miami has claimed running back Zach Zenner off of waivers via the Arizona Cardinals to take Ballage’s spot at the third active running back on the roster and Miami also tacked on WR Trevor Davis from waivers via the Oakland Raiders.

Davis is a former 5th-round draft selection by the Green Bay Packers and played his first three seasons in the NFL with the Packers before being cut by the Packers earlier this season.

For Miami, the absence of Ballage is the most notable shift on the roster, although rookie running backs Patrick Laird and Myles Gaskin appear ready to step in and split the bulk of the carries as the Dolphins look to find some stability in the running game. That stability won’t come until Miami gets some new bodies up front along the offensive line, but at the very least Laird and Gaskin have some more lateral agility than Ballage — that may help the team spring some bigger gains on the ground over the final 4 games of the season.

[vertical-gallery id=419827]

Tunnel Vision of Week 13

Tunnel Vision – a look back at Sunday for fantasy free agents, injuries and notable performances.

SUNDAY SALUTES
Quarterbacks Yards TD
 Ryan Fitzpatrick  365 – 2 3
 Aaron Rodgers 243 – 24 4
 Kyle Allen 278 – 22 3
 Dak Prescott 355 – 25 2
 Carson Wentz 310 – 0 3
Running Backs Yards TD
Derrius Guice 137 2
Derrick Henry 166 1
Raheem Mostert 154 1
Peyton Barber 44 2
James White 177 2
Wide Receivers Yards TD
Devante Parker 159 2
Kenny Golladay 158 1
Alshon Jeffery 137 1
Courtland Sutton 74 2
Davante Adams 64 2
Tight Ends Yards TD
Tyler Higbee 107 1
Mike Gesicki 79 1
Jack Doyle 73 1
Jason Witten 42 1
Mark Andrews 50 1
Placekickers XP FG
Will Lutz 2 4
Brandon McManus 2 3
Jason Sanders 2 (+TD) 1
Jake Elliott 2 3
Dustin Hopkins 2 3
Defense Sck-TO TD
Buccaneers 5-4 1
Saints 9-3 0
Chiefs 2-3 1
Titans 3-3 1
Rams 5-1 1

Bumps, Bruises and Bowouts

TE Greg Olsen – Concussion
RB Kalen Ballage – Leg
WR Chester Rogers – Knee
WR Trey Quinn – Concussion
RB Darrel Williams – Hamstring
QB Baker Mayfield – Hand

Chasing Ambulances

Another light week with nothing major happening on the injury front.

TE Greg Olsen – Out with a concussion that looked significant at the time. He’d give way to Ian Thomas if Olsen misses time and Thomas turned in four catches for 24 yards in the loss to the Redskins. But at this point of the season, it’s a non-event.

RB Kalen Ballage – This is the worst backfield so it doesn’t really matter. Myles Gaskin ran for 20 yards on two carries but Patrick Laird would pick up more work and he only ran for five yards on ten carries. Nothing here to bring into fantasy playoffs.

RB Darrel Williams – The Chiefs’ backfield is a mess and Williams only gained 13 yards on six runs before his hamstring injury that happened when he was untouched. Damien Williams could be back this week anyway and LeSean McCoy takes his cut. The only interesting outcome was letting Darwin Thompson run for 44 yards and a touchdown on 11 rushes. Again – not a lot here to rely on for fantasy playoffs.

QB Baker Mayfield – He appeared to hit his hand on a helmet and had an x-ray taken. He returned to the game so it is a non-event pending any further concerns this week in practice.

Free Agents, Flops and Other Notables

WR Anthony Miller – Taylor Gabriel was out with a concussion which elevated Miller in the win over the Lions. While he has yet to score a 2019 touchdown, Miller turned in a career-best 140 yards on nine catches last Thursday. And that follows two weeks of six-catch performances.

WR Cole Beasley – Saved his best for playing his ex-employer. Beasley hung six catches for 110 yards and a touchdown in Dallas but that makes a score in five of the last seven games and over 70 yards in three of his last four. As great as that sounds, facing BAL, @PIT, @NE, and NYJ sound like temper expectations.

Bills backfield – Said it many times before but it still kills me. Devin Singletary runs for 63 yards on 14 carries while Frank Gore still is given nine runs to gain 11 yards. I want Singletary next year when Gore is gone. Unless they bring in yet another aging back to slow down the offense.

RB Raheem Mostert – He was on a streak of games with only six carries but in Week 12, he gained 45 yards and scored. In Baltimore, Mostert was the only player with notable statistics when he ran for 146 yards on 19 carries and scored once. He added two catches for eight yards. Tevin Coleman was held to only six yards on five rushes.  That’s hard to rely on playing at the Saints this week, but he looked clearly superior to Coleman.

RB Derrius Guice – He torched the Panthers for 129 yards and two touchdowns on just ten rushes and added two receptions for eight yards. Adrian Peterson also gained 99 yards and a score on 13 carries but it was against the Panthers and their  No. 27 ranked defense versus running backs. Even better, the Redskins head to Green Bay this week to face the No. 30 defense against the position.

WR D.J. Moore – The Panthers wideout just caught six passes for 75 yards and one score in the loss to the Redskins. For the last five games, he’s totaled more fantasy points than any other wideout besides Jarvis Landry. And next week he faces the No. 30 defense versus wideouts in the Falcons.

QB Sam Darnold – After scoring six touchdowns over the previous two games, Darnold was held to only 239 yards and no scores by the Bengals. That calls into question if the Redskins and Raiders matchups were just a function of bad secondaries. This week they host the Dolphins but that doesn’t look as inviting as it once did. One plus – Robby Anderson still caught seven passes for 101 yards while all other receivers did very little.

QB Andy Dalton – Took his start and brought a win to the Bengals since they still own the worst record, just not a win-less record. With the Dolphins and both meetings with the Browns left o play, the Bengals have to decide if they want to risk that No. 1 overall pick next April.

RB Marlon Mack – Targeting this week to return. The Colt need him since the backfield is now a mess with Jordan Wilkins (11-47), Nyheim Hines (4-22, TD) and Jonathan Williams (8-14) canceling each other out in the loss to the Titans.

TE Jack Doyle – Eric Ebron landed on injured reserve and that left Doyle as the lone receiving tight end. He turned in six catches for 73 yards and a touchdown on Sunday. His 11 targets were more than any other Colt. And this week, he plays the Buccaneers that are ranked No. 31 versus tight ends.

QB Nick Foles – Facing the Buccaneers has been a gift for almost every opposing quarterback but Foles completed just 7-of-14 for 93 yards, with one interception and two lost fumbles by half time. He was benched so that Gardner Minshew could throw for 147 yards and one score in the second half. Now the problem is who plays in Week 14? The rookie or the $88M quarterback?

RB Ronald Jones – He was held to only eight yards on six carries while Peyton Freaking Barber was given 17 carries to gain 44 yards and two touchdowns. Just when you think it may be safe to trust Jones. You cannot.

WR Alshon Jeffery – Missed two games with an ankle injury but returned to post nice catches for 167 yards and a score in the loss to the Dolphins. This was the first time he’s played as well as he did in 2018. The Dolphins secondary was missing several players, so it’s likely a one-game aberration.

WR James Washington – The change to Devlin Hodges the last two weeks resulted in Washington logging 98 yards and a score at the Bengals and then 111 yards and a touchdown on Sunday versus the Browns. Even better, the Steelers face the Cardinals this week.

WR Robert Woods – He still has not caught a touchdown but he posted 95 yards in Week 10 before disappearing in Week 11 for unknown personal reasons. His return in Week 12 saw him catch six passes for 97 yards against the Ravens. On Sunday, he caught 13 passes for 172 yards. You do not need touchdowns with those sort of stats.

Cardinals backfield – The loss to the Rams meant less rushing anyway, but the backfield had Kenyan Drake, Chase Edmond, and David Johnson available. They elected to never use Edmonds, and run Drake 13 times for 31 yards and Johnson gained 15  yards on four rushes. Both Drake and Johnson caught two short passes. The remaining schedule – PIT, CLE, @SEA, and @LAR –  all go against Top-12 defenses versus running backs.

QB Drew Lock – The Broncos opted to start their 2.10 pick in Lock, and the rookie responded with two touchdowns to Courtland Sutton in the first quarter.  He ended with only 134 passing touchdowns and those two scores. But he helped lead the Broncos to the eventual win. He’ll need to throw in Houston and Kansas City next, but the first quarter is over and there isn’t enough there to merit any consideration.

TE Darren Waller – Led the Raiders with seven catches for 100 yards in the beatdown by the Chiefs. His nine targets were more than double anyone else and Tyrell Williams ended with only one catch for nine yards. The Raiders can no longer connect with wideouts and the top three receivers were two tight ends and the running back DeAndre Washington.

Huddle player of the week

Devante Parker  –  This is simply mind-blowing.  Devante Parker was already the only receiver worth covering for the Dolphins but he caught seven passes for 159 yards and two touchdowns. Those were his first scores since Week 9 but Parker’s making the most of his opportunity after Preston Williams left in Week 10. He helped win a lot of fantasy games this week – if he was in the starting lineups.

Salute!

Drama 101 – Somebody has to laugh, somebody has to cry

Comedy Yards TDs Tragedy Yards TDs
QB Ryan Fitzpatrick 367 3 QB Drew Brees 184 1
RB Raheem Mostert 154 1 RB Aaron Jones 31 0
RB Peyton Barber 44 2 RB Ronald Jones 8 0
WR Allen Lazard 103 1 WR Odell Beckham 29 0
WR Anthony Miller 140 0 WR Chris Godwin 50 0
WR Curtis Samuel 65 1 WR Michael Thomas 48 0
TE Tyler Higbee 107 1 TE Hunter Henry 10 0
PK Will Lutz 2 XP 4 FG PK Brett Maher 1 XP
Huddle Fantasy Points = 141 Huddle Fantasy Points = 29

Now get back to work…

Miami Dolphins RB Kalen Ballage facing dubious mark in 2019

Miami Dolphins RB Kalen Ballage’s numbers are historically bad as a ball carrier in 2019.

In the history of the NFL, there have been thousands of players to pass through the league. And for all of those thousands and thousands of players from far and wide, no one has had a season quite like Dolphins running back Kalen Ballage. Ballage, who now infamously told the South Florida media that he had “nothing to prove” when he took over the lead back role in early November, has been Miami’s lead threat out of the backfield ever since the team traded Kenyan Drake and cut Mark Walton.

In all this season, Kalen Ballage has carried the ball 71 times for 135 yards on the season, an average of 1.9 yards per carry.

And, according to Pro Football Reference, Ballage is on pace to finish the year with a historically bad bottom line. No player going back to 1950 has ever had 70+ carries and finished with an average of less than 2.0 yards per carry. None.

And so with the Dolphins continuing to commit to Ballage as the team’s leading back, Ballage must now look to pop a few big runs and avoid the record books for all the wrong reasons. The next worst average yards per carry in a single season for a player with 70+ carries is 2.04 yards per rush, a number belonging to former New York Giants fullback Eddie Price back in 1953 (206 yards on 101 carries). The NFL has seen only one other player with at least 70 carries finish with under 2.5 yards per carry since the turn of the millennium — former 1,000 yard rusher Chester Taylor carried 112 times for 267 yards with the Chicago Bears in 2010. He was out of the league by 2012.

[vertical-gallery id=420193]

Dolphins to stick with RB Kalen Ballage as their starting back

The Miami Dolphins’ rushing attack has been woefully bad this season but there are no changes this week to the depth chart.

The Miami Dolphins’ ground game has been abysmal this season. While the savvy play of quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick has allowed the Dolphins to move the ball through the air in spurts of games, the Dolphins simply lack the firepower up front or in the backfield to consistently create chunk yardage and generate movement at the point of attack. It’s understandable, given the talent the offense is currently working with up front, but it’s also incredibly frustrating to watch holes quickly collapse.

And when the holes are actually there for the taken, primary back Kalen Ballage’s vision in the backfield has been a disappointment. Ballage is best when he’s provided a runway to work through the line of scrimmage, not when he’s forced to feel for space and then make anticipatory cuts to daylight. It’s not his strength and it’s apparent every time you watch him run into the backs of his blockers in the backfield.

And yet Miami doesn’t really have any other options other than a pair of rookies in Patrick Laird and Myles Gaskin, so head coach Brian Flores has tabbed Ballage as the continued starter.

“I mean right now I would say Kalen (Ballage) is the starter. That’s kind of my thought process. Again, that’s without taking a deep dive into Philly and what they do,” said Flores during yesterday’s press conference.

“…I would say Kalen would be the starter. At the same time, we’ll see how this goes. All of those guys played yesterday. I think we could see all of them, we could see the majority of one of them. We’ll just see how it goes.”

It’s surprising that Laird or Gaskin isn’t getting a more extended look, although the snap counts from the Cleveland game would indicate that a committee approach may be in the cards before the season is through. But for at least one more week, Ballage will serve as the designated starter in the backfield for the Dolphins — and hopefully find different results than the rest of the year has provided him.

[jwplayer 13LaLriA-ThvAeFxT]

Dolphins’ need at running back more apparent than ever

The Miami Dolphins’ running game is one of the more futile in all of football. The team will need to address the position this offseason.

If we are all being honest, the Miami Dolphins already had a need at the running back position before the team cut ties with Mark Walton on Tuesday. But with Walton’s dismissal from the team, the Dolphins’ running back room is looking especially barren with just Kalen Ballage, Myles Gaskin and Patrick Laird left as primary ball carriers. Miami would be wise to work in extra carries for Gaskin and Laird over the course of the next six games, after all 2019 is an evaluation year as much as it is anything else for these 2-8 Dolphins.

But no matter what Gaskin and Laird show, Miami is in need of a more dynamic feature ball carrier. Ballage is big, fast and explosive but hasn’t shown effectiveness in an increased role. Ideally the offensive line would provide him with more clear paths as well, but we’ve seen former Dolphins runners such as Walton and Drake find more room to work than Ballage, mainly because Kalen is at his best in straight line situations.

The good news for Miami is that good running backs aren’t too difficult to find, given the surplus of talent in the backfield as ball carriers. The question then becomes one of value. Would it make sense for the Dolphins to invest one of their three 1st-round picks in a rookie back like Wisconsin’s Jonathan Taylor or Clemson’s Travis Etienne? Probably not. For some teams, a 1st-round running back can be the final piece of the puzzle, but the Dolphins have hardly gotten the frame of their puzzle set on offense.

The mid-rounds is a much more attractive place for a team with as many needs as Miami to address the running back position. There, potential names like Florida State’s Cam Akers, Utah’s Zack Moss, Ohio State’s J.K. Dobbins and others can provide Miami with more diverse runners than Ballage’s straight line approach.

Anyone hoping to see the Dolphins put off addressing a “low value” position like running back should probably begin to adjust their mindset, because the Dolphins’ running game is quite poor and the personnel is a large part of the problem. Those issues were further exacerbated by the correct decision to part ways with Walton and are now more difficult to ignore than ever.

[protected-iframe id=”6e8b8892e9038fd158063dda352df4de-105974726-152780023″ info=”https://art19.com/shows/e34d7967-9a7d-4b90-9a57-ec61905a7e96/embed?playlist_type=playlist” scrolling=”no”]