A Look Ahead: Does Ronnie Brown Have a Future With the Miami Dolphins?

Putting his recent drinking and driving troubles aside, Ronnie Brown enters the 2010 season as a major question mark.

He's coming off of a Lisfranc fracture and a surgery that can take up to a year or more to fully recover from. That means Brown probably won't be 100 percent until around November. He'll hit the field before then, you can assume that much, but its a dangerous road to walk.

Because of the sensitivity of the injury, aggravating it is a major concern. If he were to re-fracture the foot his Dolphins career would essentially be over.

He received a $3.97 million tender as a restricted free agent this summer, but currently has no guarantees beyond this season. The long-term contract he's being seeking from the Dolphins for the last two years continues to elude him. 

While Miami's front office hasn't outright explained why they've been so unreceptive to the idea of extending Brown's contract, the reasoning is obvious: Bill Parcells and general manager Jeff Ireland don't think No. 23 can stay healthy.

This is an issue that dates back to 2005, long before Parcells took the reigns.

When Brown was coming out of college, draft pundits cited that he'd never been a featured back, and questioned whether his body could hold up for a full NFL season. Brown had split carries at Auburn with Cadillac Williams for four years.

It turns out those detractors were onto something; Brown has missed 20 games over the last five seasons and has only once in his career been able to stay healthy for an entire year.

Its no secret how Parcells and company feel about injury-prone players. While they've bended on their motto to bring in the likes of Jake Grove, they've also put Justin Smiley on the trading block. Smiley's been plagued by injuries for a large chunk of his two years with Miami.

So where does that leave Ronnie Brown? What does he have to do to get the long-term deal that's avoided him thus far?

For starters, he needs to play every game in 2010. Another injury shortened campaign will be one too many for this former No. 2 overall selection. But even if he does manage to avoid the injury bug for the second time in his career, that might not be enough to see him remain with the Dolphins beyond 2010.

Brown is a former All-Pro in the middle of his prime. Assume for a moment he's able to stay healthy and put up numbers similar to his 2008 campaign that got him voted to the Pro Bowl. Players of that quality generally come with a hefty price tag in free agency.

Would the Dolphins be willing to give Brown the type of money his market value would call for? It seems doubtful, even when considering his ability to run the Wildcat.

In a league that more and more has favored the passing game, and seen plenty of unknown running backs emerge as quality options over the years, it seems unreasonable to think Miami would commit a large sum of money to the position.

Ricky Williams comes at a much cheaper price, as does Tony Sparano favorite Patrick Cobbs. Even former practice squad member Lex Hilliard has proven useful as an option at halfback.

The reality is the Dolphins' offensive line is strong enough to make decent players look good, and good players look great. The difference in production between the likes of Brown and Cobbs, behind one of the best lines in the business, probably wouldn't be that drastic.

So as Miami prepares for the 2010 season, Dolfans might be watching Ronnie Brown suit up for the last time.

If he can't stay healthy, he's out the door. If he stays healthy, he'll want a massive contract. From the Dolphins front office stand point, there's really no winning in a situation like that, especially when they believe they can get good production at a fraction of the cost.

Don't bet on this team dropping a fortune to secure Brown's services even if he has a career year; his injury history is too risky to bet on.

Ronnie Brown might be an elite option at tailback, but just ask yourself this: How many elite tailbacks have led their teams to Super Bowl victories lately?