You can’t blame the Miami Dolphins for trying to sign running back C.J Anderson, they definitely gave it the old college try.
They played it the best they could with a front loaded 4 year offer to Anderson, with almost $5 million more than the Broncos had originally tendered Anderson for. However, the Broncos used their entire 5 day match period to finally come to a decision to match the Dolphins offer, and re-sign Anderson.
It will be interesting to see how well Anderson plays next season, to see what could have been. Even if Anderson has a 1,000 plus rushing season, and 10 plus touchdowns in Denver, does not necessarily mean he would have put up the same numbers in Miami’s offense.
I believe Anderson will have a good season in Denver next year, and would have been a good fit in Miami, however sometimes you need a little luck, and Miami clearly does not have any luck when it pertains to restricted free-agents. The other side of this coin, is that Miami now has some more salary cap space to use on other positions of need and another running back.
Moving forward, the Dolphins now have 3 positions that they desperately need to upgrade: Running Back, Guard and Cornerback. If the season started today, the Dolphins would be in trouble at those positions, which would directly cause them to lose more games then they would win. Luckily, the Dolphins still have plenty of time to upgrade these positions, through free-agency, the Draft, and with mini-camp cuts from other teams.
In terms of available free agents, the best of the bunch have already been signed, so Miami will need to look at second and third tier running back options such as Alfred Morris, LaGarrette Blount, James Starks and Chris Johnson, who is visiting the Fins facility today. At the very least the Dolphins need to sign one veteran, because even though Ajayi flashed talent last season, he has a propensity for injury, and still extremely raw.
Lastly, Miami will need to definitely use one of their upcoming draft picks on a running back. The good thing about this position, is that it has one of the easier transitions in terms of College level to NFL level. Running backs drafted in any round, have a higher probability of being productive immediately than almost any other position in the league – but even for the best at football gambling, getting one that’s special is never easy.
Depending on how things shake out in the first 12 picks of the draft, Miami may have the opportunity to select Ohio State running back Ezekiel Elliott. If Elliott is not an option, then Miami will still have some quality choices in the second and third round, such as Heisman trophy winner, Derrick Henry, Kenneth Dixon, C.J. Prosise, Devontae Booker, Alex Collins, and Paul Perkins. Miami will most likely be drafting one of these players, and if they can get a little luck, they may strike gold on a young talented running back that may make Miami Dolphins News fans quickly forget about Lamar Miller and C.J Anderson.
