Why Stevan Ridley Would Be Perfect Fit for Miami Dolphins

The AFC East inbreeding could continue.

All offseason, former AFC East head coaches, general managers and players have made homes with rivals of the teams they once played for. Cornerback Darrelle Revis, head coach Rex Ryan, offensive coordinator Chan Gailey, general manager Mike Tannenbaum and quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick are just some of the names who will be making great friends on teams they once considered bitter enemies.

According to ESPN's James Walker, former New England Patriots running back Stevan Ridley could be the next player to jump ship. Ridley visited with the Miami Dolphins on March 31; the Minnesota Vikings were the only other team to show interest in Ridley—and they failed to sign him—but if Tannenbaum and Dennis Hickey know what's good for them, they won't let him leave without a contract. 

Yes, he's coming off a season-ending ACL tear, but when has that stopped the Dolphins from signing anyone in the past? In fact, they re-signed safety Louis Delmas after a season-ending knee injury—granted, Delmas accepted a one-year deal in light of the injury. 

Ridley may be forced to accept a one-year deal regardless of where he signs, and considering the general lack of interest in him on the open market so far, he should be eager to sign the first thing he sees. 

Year	Games	Car	Yds	YPA	TD	Yards after contact	Yco/att	Missed tackles
2011	13	91	462	5.1	1	278	3.1	11
2012	18	323	1,415	4.4	13	793	2.5	30
2013	16	197	841	4.3	9	421	2.1	28
2014	6	94	340	3.6	2	166	1.8	7

Ridley has faced some adversity in his career. He proved he could be a bell cow when he rushed 290 times for 1,263 yards and 12 touchdowns in the 2012 season, but he had that title stripped away from him unceremoniously in the 2013 season amid a bad case of fumbleitis. He fumbled in the season opener against the Buffalo Bills, giving up the ball without being touched, and then fumbled in three straight games against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Carolina Panthers and Denver Broncos.

Patriots head coach Bill Belichick gave Ridley a pass for his fumble against the Steelers in a postgame press conference, calling it "a result of [a] really good defensive [play]." His fumbles became increasingly harder to defend, though, as his mistake against the Panthers came at the goal line, and his fumble against the Broncos was returned for a touchdown.

The Patriots were more than content turning to LeGarrette Blount to be the workhorse instead of Ridley. For good measure, they also drafted Wisconsin running back James White, who fumbled just twice in 754 career touches, according to NFL.com's Nolan Nawrocki. 

With the fear of losing his job firmly in his mind every time he touched the ball, Ridley had been extra careful with the ball in 2014 and hadn't fumbled on any of his 98 touches (94 rushes, four catches). 

Player	Ht	Wt	Age	Exp
Lamar Miller	5'10"	224	23	3
Mike Gillislee	5'11"	216	24	2
LaMichael James	5'9"	195	25	3
Damien Williams	5'11"	221	22	1

Running backs are a dime a dozen, but the Dolphins need a back like Ridley. Currently, their depth chart is comprised of Lamar Miller and a host of unproven youngsters in Damien Williams, Mike Gillislee and LaMichael James. Those backs all have a similar skill set to one another, and there is currently no one on the roster who excels running between the tackles.

The Dolphins had surely hoped that a reunion with Daniel Thomas would provide the thunder to Miller's lightning, but all it provided was a reminder of why they moved on from him in the first place. They didn't even try to re-sign him as a free agent in 2014, and they are repeating that course in 2015.

Ridley could bring the thunder to the Dolphins' backfield provided he recovers well from his knee surgery. And if he returns to the level we saw from him in the 2012 and 2013 seasons, he will have no problem earning a bigger, long-term commitment from a team as a free agent in 2016.