The Dolphins pursued a few veteran running backs during free agency, but none of them wound up joining the team’s roster which makes third-round pick Kenyan Drake the only significant addition to the backfield this offseason.
It also opened the door wide for Jay Ajayi to grab the feature back role in Miami this season. Ajayi says he is doing all he can to race through it and grab the job that Lamar Miller left available when he signed with the Texans.
“I’ve been excited since I found out that Lamar was going to be moving on and that the position would be available,” Ajayi said, via the team’s website. “I’ve just been pushing myself through this offseason to prepare myself to have a great sophomore season. I was able to get a lot of opportunities last year when I finally started playing, and I felt comfortable. Now, I’m ready to elevate my game to a new level this season.”
Drake isn’t able to practice with the team yet because of the league’s rules forcing rookies to sit out until their colleges are out of session and Ajayi appears to be taking advantage of the situation. Coach Adam Gase heaped praise on Ajayi earlier this offseason and said during an interview with WQAM last week that the back has “separated himself” from the other backs on the roster.