Tag: Myles Gaskin

Vikings to sign RB Myles Gaskin

The Vikings bolstered their running back room on Wednesday morning

The Minnesota Vikings have made a move to bolster their running back room. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Vikings are signing former Miami Dolphins running back Myles Gaskin.

The move to add a running back to the active roster makes total sense for the Vikings. They only had three on the roster and Kene Nwangwu feels primed to go on injured reserve after missing most of training camp due to injury.

In coming to Minnesota, Gaskin reunites with his former head coach Brian Flores. He was a starter for Flores back in 2021 where he had his best season with 946 all-purpose yards and seven touchdowns.

Gaskin can come in and play on all three downs, which is something that Kevin O’Connell seems to prioritize.

With the signing of Gaskin, there will need to be a corresponding roster move. That is likely going to be Nwangwu to injured reserve. That will come to fruition at 11 am central on Wednesday, August 30th.

Unsettled situations: Miami Dolphins backfield

Rumors swirling around Miami’s intentions make for a tough prediction.

You have to go back to the 2016 season to find the last time the Miami Dolphins ranked in the upper half of the NFL in rushing. In the six years since, Miami has ranked 29th, 18th, 32nd, 22nd, 30th, and 25th, respectively — last year’s finish represented an average of 99.2 yards per game. Despite limited success in that department under first-year head coach Mike McDaniel, the Dolphins brought back their two leading rushers in running backs Raheem Mostert and Jeff Wilson Jr., both of whom followed McDaniel from the San Francisco 49ers to Miami.

They didn’t play a pat hand, though, using a third-round pick on RB De’Von Achane, a move that likely signaled the end of the line for holdover RBs Salvon Ahmed and/or Myles Gaskin. Even with that, there’s some belief that the Dolphins aren’t done making moves at the running back position, as they’ve been frequently mentioned as a possible destination for free-agent RB Dalvin Cook, who was released by the Minnesota Vikings in June.

For now, however, Cook remains a free agent, so we’re going to look at what Miami has available in their running back room as of today, and what we might expect from them, barring another move.

Analyzing the terms of Dolphins RB Myles Gaskin’s new contract

He was one of four running backs that Miami brought back from their 2022 roster.

The Miami Dolphins entered the offseason with a completely empty tunning back room. Instead of switching out players at the position, general manager Chris Grier and head coach Mike McDaniel opted to re-sign all four of their own free agents.

This included Myles Gaskin, whose rookie deal had just run out with Miami after four seasons.

According to Over the Cap, Gaskin and the Dolphins agreed to a one-year contract that will pay him roughly $1.23 million in 2023. He will receive $1.08 million in a base salary (none of which is guaranteed) and $152,500 in per-game roster bonuses. His cap hit is set at just over $975,000.

Raheem Mostert, Jeff Wilson and Salvon Ahmed were also brought back to South Florida after their previous contracts expired at the end of the 2022 season, meaning Gaskin’s opportunities could be limited again in this upcoming year.

In fact, his spot on the roster is far from guaranteed. Miami could release Gaskin before the start of the season and save all of his $975,000 cap hit with no dead money.

This means the Dolphins could bring in rookie competition, and if they outperform Gaskin, the latter could be released or snuck onto the practice squad.

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Dolphins re-sign RB Myles Gaskin

The whole gang is back.

The Miami Dolphins have certainly been attacking the running back position early and often in this portion of the offseason.

After re-signing Raheem Mostert, Jeff Wilson and Salvon Ahmed in recent days, the Dolphins decided to make it a clean sweep and bring back Myles Gaskin as well, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

Gaskin, 25, just finished out his rookie deal with Miami this past season, his fourth with the team. With all the other backs on the roster, he rushed for a career-low 26 yards on 10 carries.

With the entire rushing attack back, the Dolphins will likely use them in the same way that they did last year. However, it’s interesting that they haven’t decided to bring in an outside free agent.

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Grading the Miami Dolphins running backs after their 2022 season

Three new backs came in this year.

The Miami Dolphins completed their 2022 campaign, as they were defeated by the Buffalo Bills in the wild-card round.

In the early stages of the offseason, Miami has moved on from their defensive coordinator and three different positional coaches. Now would be a perfect time to reflect on the season from the guys who actually made an impact on the field.

We’ll be going through different positions and reviewing how they played in 2022. After starting with the quarterbacks, we’ll take a look at those responsible for getting the tough yards. These are the grades for the Dolphins running backs during this campaign.

Dolphins approach offseason with little cap space and an empty backfield

Miami isn’t always aggressive when it comes to the position.

Usually, in football, when you hear the term “empty backfield,” it simply means five wide receivers are at the quarterback’s disposal. In the case of the 2023 Miami Dolphins, at the moment, they literally have an empty running back room.

Once the Dolphins lost to the Buffalo Bills during Super Wild Card Weekend, the contracts of pending free agents expired, including those of Raheem Mostert, Jeff Wilson Jr., Salvon Ahmed and Myles Gaskin.

Coupled with what is one of the most talent-rich running back free agent classes in years, Miami will be active in their due diligence to re-sign a recently rostered back and/or sign a runner off the market.

Before anything is done, in terms of fishing in the pool of candidates, general manager Chris Grier and salary cap guru Brandon Shore have work ahead of them to get financially prepared to reel in talent and retain as well. A total of 31 players from Miami’s 2022 team enter the market, so there’ll be plenty of paperwork and number crunching in the early stages of the offseason.

Not only do the Dolphins have big contracts to hopefully restructure, namely Tyreek Hill and Xavien Howard, but there are also potential deals that could be made to send some contracts out, most importantly, cornerback Byron Jones.

Jones didn’t play a snap for Miami in 2022, and with a contract that’s valued at $13.5 million for 2023, it’s safe to say the sides could part ways. Even a minor deal for some sort of draft capital would be worth its weight in cap savings for the aqua and orange.

Looking around the Dolphins roster, there could be another candidate or two to phone franchises to see if their services would be needed. Grier has shown he has no problem being aggressive, with a dash of patience, and has no problem making multiple moves as swiftly as Michael Corleone consolidated his power at the end of “The Godfather.”

While it’s doubtful Grier and Shore will be handing out offers running backs can’t refuse, Dolphin fans should be weary of hoping for the premier running backs in this class. The New York Giants have a decision to make regarding Saquon Barkley, and a few more NFC East runners in Philadelphia Eagle Miles Sanders and Tony Pollard of the Dallas Cowboys could be wearing new uniforms next season as well.

Adding to this class is Josh Jacobs, Kareem Hunt, David Montgomery, Jamaal Williams, Rashaad Penny and Jerick McKinnon. Moving a bit down the pecking order but more so in the aisle and price range of Grier and Shore, as they’ve proven, are names like Alexander Mattison and Devin Singletary.

While the luxury of having a running back like the top-portions of this list is welcomed, it may not be in the cards if Miami were to focus on their other team needs such as linebackers (they have five free agents from last year’s team) and offensive line.

They also have to keep money aside to extend defensive lineman Christian Wilkins, whose fifth-year option should not only be picked up for 2023 but added several years and dollars on top of it to lock him into Miami Gardens so his growth can continue into an elite overall defender.

And, of course, money will have to be kept aside and accounted for the quarterback position. Meaning, if Tua Tagovailoa’s fifth-year option is picked up, it may as well be an extension. However, if it’s not, huge money will have to attract a veteran signal-caller on the market, but that’s a conversation many wish to not have.

As the playoffs continue for four more NFL teams, the business of the other 28 won’t stop, and you can bet that Grier and Shore are already projecting and modeling the immediate future of the Dolphins.

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4 free agents Dolphins shouldn’t re-sign this offseason

They can spend money wiser.

The Miami Dolphins were eliminated from the NFL’s postseason tournament after losing to the Buffalo Bills on wild-card weekend. Now, they’ll have an opportunity to get an early start on their offseason plans.

While there have already been changes made to their coaching staff, general manager Chris Grier and head coach Mike McDaniel also have some work to do with their roster.

31 players from their 2022 roster are set to hit the free-agent market at the start of the new league year, but Miami would probably be smart to avoid re-signing these four.

What’s next for the Miami Dolphins after elimination?

Miami may look to make changes on the field and on the coaching staff.

As the eight remaining playoff teams get set for their weekend matchups, the Miami Dolphins front office and brain trust start their preparation for the 2023 season.

Following last Sunday’s playoff loss to the Buffalo Bills, head coach Mike McDaniel enters his first offseason process in ending a season and assessing players along with the people he hired or inherited on his staff.

This will be the first time in his career and, of course, with Miami, that McDaniel will work with the powers that be following a head-coaching performance and renovate the roster and staff while building at the same time.

On the player end of things, 31 Dolphins from this season will enter free agency. Of the big names in this group, tight end Mike Gesicki will likely have a number of suitors who’ll utilize him to the maximum of his ability and skill set. After posting a heartfelt message on social media, Gesicki, in a vague way, that while he loves Miami and is appreciative of the Dolphins, it appears the honeymoon is over.

Backup quarterback Teddy Bridgewater is also a free agent, and it’s not expected that he’ll be back in Miami Gardens next season following a year of injuries and underperformance. Staying on the offensive side of the ball, every single running back who recorded a carry for Miami in 2022, is now a free agent.

Raheem Mostert, Salvon Ahmed, Myles Gaskin and in-season addition Jeff Wilson, Jr. could all be on different teams next season, but it’s too early to speculate. With a loaded free agent running back class, the Dolphins could focus there, however, paying top dollar for a runner isn’t something that Chris Grier has proven to be in the market for in his tenure.

McDaniel brought a pair of San Fransisco wide receivers with him to Miami, River Cracraft and Trent Sherfield, and now they’re both free agents.

Defensively, the Dolphins have decisions to make regarding the homegrown talents of linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel and cornerback Nik Needham. Van Ginkel, a 2019 fifth-round draft pick out of Wisconsin is a valuable two-unit player for Miami, excelling on special teams and, more importantly, in the outside linebacker rotation for the Dolphins in a loaded room.

Needham was undrafted in that same year of 2019, and although initially cut, the Dolphins rewarded him a practice squad spot followed by an in-season promotion. Through trials by fire and social media, Needham worked to become a fixture in the Dolphins lineup as a second-year player in 2020, and, in 2021, he was one of the NFL’s top slot cornerbacks.

Needham suffered an Achilles injury in Week 6 against the Minnesota Vikings, and although a free agent now, and rehabbing ahead of schedule. He even told reporters that Miami has communicated that they have plans for him and are interested in bringing him back.

Both will have suitors beyond the Dolphins, as Needham was recently signed by Athletes First, a top-tier agency representing a long list of NFL talent. Van Ginkel is also being courted by heavy-hitting representation, so these are situations to track this offseason.

Veteran defenders such as captain Elandon Roberts, Melvin Ingram, Eric Rowe and Duke Riley enter free agency, so that makes four free-agent linebackers who saw significant snaps in 2022. You can add in a fifth in Sam Eguavoen as well.

The Dolphins inked punter Thomas Morstead to a one-year deal last offseason. He had a fine year on the field and became a fan favorite off of it. Miami would be wise to throw another one-year deal his way with his work ethic and leadership.

There are a number of other veteran free agents Miami has decisions to make on, as well as coaching. McDaniel brought in his offensive coaching staff upon being hired in Miami, but essentially inherited the defensive crew, led by coordinator Josh Boyer.

Boyer was originally hired by former head coach Brian Flores. While last season had a bit of controversy as to who exactly was running the show on defense regarding play-calling, Boyer was retained last offseason despite the firing of Flores.

UPDATE: Boyer was fired on Thursday, along with three members of his staff.

This season, a talented Dolphins defense was underwhelming through the course of the season but did sustain a slew of significant injuries to key players. Emmanuel Ogbah, Brandon Jones, Needham and not to mention the Byron Jones saga, all led to Boyer playing with a limited deck.

Miami finished 2022 18th in total defense and 24th in scoring defense. The main issue was on third downs, as they were tied for the NFL’s 24th-ranked unit here, and, many times throughout the season, it was key conversions that plagued the Dolphins.

At the moment, it’s not confirmed one way or another if Boyer will be retained, and another coach where the speculation is flying is special teams coordinator Danny Crossman. The Dolphins ranked near the bottom of the league in special teams categories.

Now that 24 teams are looking to 2023, the coaching carousel is underway, but the timetables will be anybody’s guess on what, when, who and how this will play out from a staffing side.

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Ravens announce inactives for Week 2 vs. Dolphins

The Ravens announced inactives for their Week 2 matchup with the Dolphins

The Baltimore Ravens will take on the Miami Dolphins at M&T Bank Stadium in their 2022 home opener. The Ravens suffered numerous injuries last season to key contributors before the year even began. However, one of those players will make his 2022 season debut on Sunday.

Baltimore released their inactives list for their Week 2 matchup with Miami, featuring a host of big names. Most of the players listed had a “questionable” tag on the team’s final injury report of the week on Friday. The Ravens have opted to take the cautious with some of their talent.

After speaking with the media earlier in the week and looking like he may suit up, Baltimore has decided to rest running back J.K. Dobbbins. He suffered a season-ending ACL injury during the 2021 preseason. The team also announced that offensive tackle Ronnie Stanley, tight end Nick Boyle, wide receiver James Proche II, defensive tackle Travis Jones and cornerback Brandon Stephens will miss Week 2. However, the Ravens will be getting back star cornerback Marcus Peters after he missed all of 2021 with a torn ACL. Cornerback Marlon Humphrey will also suit up against the Dolphins after he was listed as questionable on the team’s final injury report.

The Dolphins also announced their inactives, headlined by running back Myles Gaskin.

4 Dolphins change jersey numbers before season opener

Three are rookies, and one is a veteran.

When rookies are drafted or signed to their organization, they typically have limited numbers that they can choose from due to their being many players on the roster already.

Miami Dolphins rookie linebacker Channing Tindall, who was the team’s first draft pick in 2022, got No. 51 when he arrived in South Florida after wearing No. 41 during his collegiate career at Georgia. No. 41 was being worn by linebacker Darius Hodge, but Hodge was recently released during the roster cutdowns.

With that, Tindall shared on his Instagram story that he’s going back to his collegiate number for the season.

Erik Ezukanma, another Dolphins rookie, is also changing his number. While he wore No. 84 and No. 13 at Texas Tech and had been wearing No. 87 in Miami, he’ll be wearing No. 18 going forward. That number was previously held by Preston Williams.

Undrafted rookie tight end Tanner Conner, who had been wearing No. 48 in the preseason, is switching back to his collegiate number – No. 80, which was held by tight end Adam Shaheen. Shaheen is on season-ending injured reserve after knee surgery.

One player that’s changing their number that isn’t a rookie is running back Myles Gaskin. Gaskin had worn No. 37 during his time in Miami, but he’s moving on from that and is switching to No. 3. Lynn Bowden Jr. had worn No. 3 this offseason, and Will Fuller donned it last season.

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