The Miami Dolphins have closed the door on running back Raheem Mostert playing against the Bills on Thursday night, but this is an opportunity for another running back to step up.
Miami is down to only two healthy running backs, Jaylen Wright and Jeff Wilson Jr. The Dolphins may also need to elevate a player from the practice squad. Why? De'Von Achane is currently a question mark heading into the game despite returning to practice on Wednesday.
Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel has already ruled out Mostert while saying "we will see how it plays out" on Achane's status.
Miami's only option on the practice squad is Deneric Prince. Letting Chris Brooks leave after being waived does not look so good. The Dolphins aren't exactly looking good at wide receiver, either, where Malik Washington is also a big question mark.
Dolphins have no choice but to activate Jaylen Wright against the Bills
Mostert is dealing with a chest injury that at first seemed to not be a huge deal. He finished the game against the Jaguars, playing on the second-to-last series of the game, but it hasn't gotten better over the last several days and the short week didn't help.
In Week 1 against the Jacksonville Jaguars, the Dolphins had to rely heavily on Jaylen Waddle and Tyreek Hill. That normally isn't a bad plan, but Braxton Berrios didn't play well and Robbie Chosen hardly made an impact. The Dolphins running game was nearly non-existent for two and a half quarters, and Miami could be in trouble on Thursday night.
Wright won't simply be activated; he may very well play a big role in the Dolphins' offense. Achane looks to be a game-time decision as he deals with an ankle injury.
Wright was impressive in camp, but now it is for real and the pressure will be on the rookie. He has a lot of speed and can play a similar role to Mostert in this system, but if the Dolphins don't have Achane, Wright may be in line for a big workload.
The Dolphins will likely run Wilson early and often, but Wright is too good to sit on the bench for long. If he gets into the game, he has an opportunity to make a statement that he should never be inactive again.