It's only preseason, and nothing is ever won in a preseason game, but the Miami Dolphins may not have an easy decision to make with their running back room.
Mike McDaniel knows how his roster will shake out at running back. De'Von Achane, Jaylen Wright, and Ollie Gordon will all make the team. Mike Boone and Aaron Shampklin are hoping the team carries another runner on the roster, but one battle is setting up to be a competition no one saw coming.
Wright and Gordon should be two and three on the roster, respectively, but one is making a case to switch who backs up Achane, and that is Gordon.
Ollie Gordon continues to shine for the Dolphins in preseason
Gordon rushed eight times for 33 yards and a touchdown in the Dolphins' opening game against the Bears, while Wright rushed nine times for 16 yards. This past Saturday against the Lions, Wright carried the ball just four times for three yards before taking a seat. Gordon immediately made his presence known.
The Dolphins' rookie draft pick ran with power and averaged a clean 5.0 yards per carry through his early second half work. Gordon finished with 10 carries for 50 yards.
Gordon and Wright didn't face the same players defensively. That makes it a bit harder to judge ball carriers, or any offensive players' production, but Gordon runs with far more conviction with the ball in his hands. He attacks the line and doesn't dance in the backfield.
The Dolphins liked what they saw in him during the pre-draft process and now fans are discovering what the personnel department saw in him. Gordon is supposed to be a bruising short-yardage runner, but he is giving McDaniel a reason to use him in other ways. He is deceptively shifty and has more speed than one would think.
Gordon continued to impress vs. the Lions, and at this point what should have been a competition to make the roster is turning into a reason to consider moving him up the depth chart.
Miami traded up for Wright in the 2024 draft, but so far, he hasn't shown enough reasons to justify being the No. 2 running back on the roster behind Achane.