Dolphins' Position Battles to Watch Ahead of 2024 NFL Season
The Miami Dolphins have one of the most talented running back tandems in the NFL.
Raheem Mostert and De'Von Achane split duties during the regular season. Mostert was the No. 1 back, while Achane grew in his supporting role throughout the campaign.
Achane may take over the starting role in 2024 now that he has one full year in the NFL under his belt.
If anything, Achane's potential emergence makes for a fascinating training camp battle for snaps alongside Tua Tagovailoa.
Miami has a few other offensive depth questions to address this summer. 2024 draft pick Patrick Paul is viewed as more of a development prospect, but he could impress enough in training camp to earn a starting position.
And then there's Odell Beckham Jr.'s fit inside the Dolphins offense. Beckham can no doubt be a help to the Dolphins offense, but what happens to his role if Braxton Berrios has an incredible summer.
Running Back
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Mostert outgained Achane by 402 yards in 2023.
The veteran running back also had 106 more carries and 10 more touchdowns than the now-second-year player out of Texas A&M.
Achane averaged three more yards per carry and he had five more receptions than his veteran teammate.
Achane's speed made a difference inside the Dolphins offense, and if he shows that he is a more refined NFL running back this summer, he could take over for Mostert.
The 2023 third-round pick is 10 years younger than Mostert and you would think this is the year Achane breaks loose for a 1,000-yard campaign.
Mostert's life span as a NFL running back is coming to an end. He was one of the best running backs last season despite being in his 30s. He bucked the league-wide trend in 2023, but he may be relegated to the backup role if Achane thrives in training camp.
Offensive Tackle
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Any competition at offensive tackle is dependent on Patrick Paul's development.
The 55th overall pick is a developmental prospect who will likely spend his rookie season learning under Terron Armstead.
Miami's best-case scenario is that Paul improves enough in the summer to make things interesting in competition with Austin Jackson at right tackle. Armstead's job is safe on the left.
Paul may take some time acclimating to Mike McDaniel's offense and to refine his skills to be a starter in the NFL.
However, if the timeline accelerates for the Houston product, we could see one of Miami's most fascinating positional battles play out.
No. 3 Wide Receiver
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Odell Beckham Jr. was signed to be Miami's No. 3 pass-catcher behind Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle.
But what if Braxton Berrios comes into training camp motivated by Beckham's signing and outplays him?
Beckham is coming off his best season in five years, but he only had 565 receiving yards for the Baltimore Ravens.
Beckham had less than 350 receiving yards in the three previous seasons that were hampered by injuries.
Berrios has not been particularly effective in the passing game either, but he is younger and faster than Beckham at the respective stages of their careers.
It seems unlikely right now that Berrios can morph into someone who can outperform Beckham, but if it happens, Miami would all of a sudden have four trustworthy targets at wide receiver to partner its running back tandem.
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