Miami Dolphins camp competition: Patrick Laird has a big hill to climb
By Brian Miller
Patrick Laird has shown signs of being a very good change of pace and situational running back but his days with the Miami Dolphins are likely over.
After going undrafted in 2019, Patrick Laird made an impression on his Dolphins coaches and it earned him a roster spot. The fact that Laird was able to make the team was impressive even if the Dolphins had just gutted their roster.
In his two seasons with Miami, Laird has appeared in all but one game and has started four games, all coming in his rookie year. He has 75 carries for 240 yards and one touchdown while adding 273 yards on 33 receptions.
Laird is a hard runner and almost doesn’t look like he should be on the field. He has very good hands and is a better pass-catching threat than a running threat but when given the chance, he has developed into a reliable player when he is called upon and he tends to approach each snap as if it were his last.
To be honest, he may not get another chance to carry the ball for the Dolphins.
Laird faces a tough road to the final 53 man roster but if he doesn’t make it, it will be for lack of effort. Miami will only carry four and at the most, five running backs. Myles Gaskin and Malcolm Brown are almost assuredly locked to make it and Salvon Ahmed has a pretty good chance as well. The Dolphins drafted Gerrid Doaks in round seven and he stands a pretty good chance to get enough looks in camp to at least give the coaches something to think about.
Laird’s biggest competition will come from Doaks, Malcolm Perry, and Jordan Scarlett. Scarlett is picking up the playbook quickly and Tua Tagovailoa has taken notice of that as well. He looks as though he could see significant practice reps in camp.
Laird still has a shot to make the roster but it won’t be an easy one. That is something he knows all too well. In 2020, he face a similar situation with the addition of Jordan Howard in the off-season and the trade for Matt Breida but Miami still not only kept him around but kept on the active roster. This August, we will see if he can defy the odds again and land on the 53.