The Miami Dolphins have not been shy about their desire to make an upgrade to the running back position. They made an interesting decision to retain their entire backfield from last season despite some struggles in the ground game.
Raheem Mostert, Jeff Wilson Jr., Myles Gaskin and Salvon Ahmed were all brought back for another season. The Dolphins did use a third-round pick on Devon Achane out of Texas A&M, but the former Aggie is week-to-week as he deals with a shoulder injury.
Earlier this offseason, the Dolphins were considered the favorites to land running back Dalvin Cook. But, he opted to sign with their AFC East rivals in the New York Jets. While they struck out on that pursuit, Miami has not stopped looking for upgrades.
According to Vic Tafur of The Athletic, the Dolphins have inquired with the Las Vegas Raiders about running back Josh Jacobs. Alas, those talks have gone nowhere, as the Raiders have said that the league’s reigning rushing champ is not available.
What Las Vegas is planning to do with Jacobs at this point is anyone’s guess. He remains away from the team after a long-term contract was not agreed upon prior to the July 17th deadline for franchise-tagged players. “Nothing’s changed on JJ,” head coach Josh McDaniels said before practice Wednesday.
While the Raiders are saying that Jacobs isn’t available, if a team such as the Dolphins presented a strong enough offer, they would have to at least listen. They’re doing themselves no favors not at least exploring all possibilities as it certainly doesn’t seem like Jacobs will be walking through that door any time soon.
The Dolphins are certainly looking to climb the ranks into contender status in 2023. They made some major additions this offseason, headlined by the acquisition of cornerback Jalen Ramsey from the Los Angeles Rams.
Unfortunately for them, Ramsey suffered a knee injury and is going to be sidelined for a portion of the regular season. That blow could be softened if the Dolphins were able to pry Jacobs away from the Raiders and bring him to South Beach.
