Phins 2020 Camp Battle: Laird V.S. Gaskin

The Phins running back depth chart will have fierce competition

The Dolphins have had plenty of success at finding quality rookie running backs in recent years and 2019 continued that trend.

Last season, Chris Grier found Myles Gaskin in the 7th Rd and Patrick Laird as a UDFA, both players proved to be productive even with a poor offensive line. But, the Phins added veteran backs Matt Breida and Jordan Howard in the offseason, so despite their success, Gaskin and Laird will be in a fierce battle for depth chart position… and maybe even to keep a spot on the roster.

Now, it’s easy to dismiss the value of these back end of depth chart players because every Phin fan has their eyes peeled looking for the next Ricky Williams. But a backfield full of quality backs is cheaper, far easier to build, and offers more stability at the position, than a backfield that revolves around one elite runner.

Many of us ‘ole’ fans’ need to realize that the ‘stable of backs’ design is the most conventional, practical, and successful in modern football. The era of one-man-gang, game-changing running back is all but gone. And remember, Miami had it’s best days with a stable of backs.

Laird & Gaskin were valuable assets in 2019

Patrick Laird known as the ‘intern’ was a fan favorite early on and flashed in the preseason. Despite Laird overshadowing Gaskin for most of the season, the script started to flip in Week 15. Unfortunately, fans didn’t get to see the battle run its course because Gaskin suffered a nasty ankle injury the next week and was quickly sent to the I.R.

Fast forward to the 2020 Training Camp:

Depending on how Ballage recovers from his injury and responds to his poor sophomore season, Laird and Gaskin look to battle for the 3rd and 4th or 4th and 5th spots on the running back depth chart.

The big question is how many running backs will Miami keep heading into Week 1?

Last year Brian Flores kept five backs to start the season with Ballage, Drake, Walton, Laird, and Gaskin. Sadly, Miami needed every last one of them. While I expect the Phins to keep five running backs again this season, there will likely be three QBs on the roster, which they didn’t in 2019. This extra quarterback will force Miami to trim a player somewhere. Will the roster trim be at running back? If so, it could put either Gaskin or Laird on the move out of South Florida.

PFF Grades for Gaskin and Laird

Who has the edge at this point?

Now neither Laird nor Gaskin will ever be a star, bell-cow running back. But, they did show promise, even though the final stats from Laird and Gaskin weren’t amazing with 372 and 184 all-purpose yards, respectively. The tape clearly shows both have enough talent to be productive in a stable of backs… if they fix a couple of flaws in their game.

Here’s a look at both players film and their breakdowns

Bottom line: Pass blocking will make or break the careers of Laird and Gaskin. Howard had a 2019 PFF pass-blocking grade of 75.6, Ballage 75.1, and Breda 50.4, which gives them a huge edge on getting snaps. Even Breida’s sub-par protection grade is vastly superior to Laird and Gaskin’s grades of 26.3 and 35.3, respectively. Barring injuries depleting the depth chart, there’s no way either will see a snap this year if they don’t dramatically improve.

Now, as a running back, Gaskin is the better player with a higher ceiling. If Gaskin clearly has the better pass blocking of the two and the consistency of his runs follow the same trajectory as Week 15 and 16 of last year, I expect him to beat out Laird. Gaskin and his second gear is a potent X-factor. Still, bet with the pay per head services that this battle will be very close because Laird is the better receiver, more consistent overall, and contributes on special teams.

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Oddly, Laird has the better chance of making the roster than Gaskin, due to his special teams play. Last season, Gaskin had 18 snaps, while Laird had 258 snaps. This will be a huge advantage over Gaskin if all things are equal and Miami goes with four running backs instead of five and decides to trim one of them from the roster.

What a bad time not to be able to see the camp competition!

Most years the buzzword of camp competition is just that a bunch of talk with little substance. This year though, just about every job is really on the line… and we fans will get the most restricted look in a long time.

Ouch!

Well, I guess as long we at least get to see them in the Regular Season, it’s a win. Go Phins!!!

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