Miami Dolphins training camp preview: Myles Gaskin

Gaskin needs to improve on his 2019 season.

The Dolphins drafted Myles Gaskin in the 7th round of the 2019 NFL Draft.  The former Washington Husky put together four straight seasons of over 1200 rushing yards and 57 career rushing touchdowns.

However, late-round draft picks often face an uphill battle for playing time in their rookie season and Gaskin was no exception.  Not only was he stuck behind highly-touted draft prospects like Kenyan Drake (3rd round pick) and Kallen Ballage (4th round) but there was also talk early about problems with Gaskin’s attitude.

However, with the Dolphins trading away Kenyan Drake at the trade deadline**, Gaskin suddenly found himself in a good position to compete for playing time.  With players ahead of him on the depth chart struggling like Patrick Laird and Ballage, Gaskin saw his most significant action in weeks 15 and 16.  He combined to rush 25 times for 98 yards and his first career NFL touchdown.  An injury (ankle) in that week 16 game ended Gaskin’s season a week prematurely.

Gaskin needs to prove himself all over again in 2020.

That brings us to the 2020 season.  In the offseason, the Dolphins brought in two experienced backs in the form of Matt Breida and Jordan Howard.  After those two, it’s a ‘dogfight’ to see who earns playing time in Chan Gailey’s revamped spread offense.

Based on last year’s results, Gaskin has an early edge.  After all, he finished 2019 with the highest yards per carry average (3.7) of all the running backs on the roster.  What hurts Gaskin’s chances is that he hasn’t shown much as a pass-catcher out of the backfield.

What does the new Dolphins offensive regime value in their running back?  That will determine whether Gaskin makes the final 53 man roster, ends up on the practice squad, or is playing for a new team in 2020.

Fun fact:  The 5th round pick the Dolphins received from Arizona in the Drake trade was traded on draft night to acquire running back Matt Breida from the 49ers.