When the Miami Dolphins signed running back Alexander Mattison in free agency, nobody thought twice about it. Mattison was expected to be a forgotten depth piece who might not even make the team's final roster.
Less than one week into training camp, he is proving the doubters wrong.
According to Dolphins insider and ESPN reporter Marcel Louis-Jacques, Mattison is showing out in early training camp practices.
Alexander Mattison is dominating Dolphins training camp
In his notes from Saturday's practice, Louis-Jacques said Mattison "had perhaps his best practice with the team, showing some burst around the edge and quick footwork in traffic. De'Von Achane (who earned Saturday's orange jersey) and Jaylen Wright are still comfortably ahead of him on the depth chart, but Mattison appears to be holding off rookie sixth-round pick Ollie Gordon II."
Let's face it, the odds are stacked against Mattison. He's an aging running back and coming off his worst season in a locker room full of younger, more athletic players. He's got an uphill climb ahead of him to even make the roster.
Back in March, the Dolphins signed Mattison to a one-year, $1.3 million deal. The move was widely criticized at the time, as he was coming off an atrocious season with the Las Vegas Raiders.
In 2024, Mattison averaged just 3.2 yards per carry. It was the worst average of any back in the league with at least 100 carries. He was a key member in one of the worst rushing attacks the NFL has seen in recent years.
Teams weren't exactly jumping at the opportunity to sign Mattison, but the Dolphins took a chance on him. After a few training camp practices, the move seems to be paying off.
Mattison is battling rookie sixth-round pick Ollie Gordon II for the third running back spot on Miami's roster. When the Dolphins drafted Gordon, it seemed to be the final nail in the coffin for Mattison. As the younger and more explosive player, Gordon came into training camp with the upper hand.
But it seems like Mattison is winning the battle early on. "Burst" and "quick footwork" wouldn't have been terms used to describe Mattison earlier in his career. Perhaps a change of scenery is just what the veteran running back needed to get back on the right track.
While it's hard to put too much stock in early training camp practices, this will be a story to monitor moving forward.