With De’Von Achane on injured reserve for the rest of the season after tearing his ACL in Week 3, the Dolphins are turning the backfield over to Jaylen Wright and Ollie Gordon II. For Wright, that means more than a bigger workload. It means a real chance to change the direction of his career.
Wright missed the Chiefs game with a foot injury, but he was a full participant in practice this week and now sits as the top running back on the Dolphins roster. He’ll almost certainly share carries with Gordon, but the spotlight is on Wright now.
Last week was Gordon’s opportunity. This one belongs to Wright.
The timing matters because Wright is running out of runway to prove he can handle a larger role. He has one year left on his rookie contract beyond 2026, and if he wants to be part of Miami’s plans for that season, he has to show the Dolphins he can be trusted with more than spot duty.
At this point, he’s not just auditioning for Miami. He’s auditioning for the rest of the league.
The production so far gives him something to work with. Wright has started only two games in three seasons, but he has put up 547 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 141 carries. His 3.9 yards per carry is respectable, especially considering his offensive snap count has never climbed above 22% in a season.
Sunday will bring his third start, but the Dolphins need more than handoffs. Wright has to hold up on passing downs, protect Malik Willis, and still be sharp enough to slip into screen looks when the moment calls for it. That part of his game has barely shown up at the NFL level; he has just 8 career receptions.
Miami’s offense is already in a tough spot. The team has had trouble finishing drives, so it needs the kind of long, grinding possessions that keep the chains moving.
That responsibility now lands on Wright and Gordon. After Achane left on the fourth play of last week’s game, Gordon helped steady things, and the Dolphins put together two drives of more than 11 plays, including a 21-play opening march.
The Dolphins are also expected to add another back from the practice squad, with Carlos Washington or Jarquez Hunter likely to be brought up. OC Bobby Slowik suggested that move was coming.
Dolphins OC Bobby Slowik on how the team will split carries on Sunday vs the Vikings:
"I can tell you that you'll probably see a few faces back there."
The matchup itself adds another layer of pressure. The Vikings’ defense figures to make life difficult for Miami’s offense, which leaves Wright with a chance to either make a statement or disappear into the background.
There’s also a defensive side to the equation. Miami should be able to keep the game close, and that means Wright’s quickness and burst could matter even more as the Dolphins try to keep the Vikings from getting steady pressure on Willis.
For now, the biggest offensive change in Miami is simple: Wright is the guy. Three years into the league, he finally has the kind of opening that can define what comes next. If he makes the most of it over the next few weeks, he may have a future in Miami beyond this season.
In Other News...
Arch Manning Could Force A Massive Dolphins Draft Rethink
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For Miami, the ripple effect is obvious. If Arch Manning does not enter the draft, the Dolphins could be looking at a very different board, with the possibility of shifting attention to other quarterback prospects or even turning the spot over to another position entirely. Nothing is settled yet, but the uncertainty around Mannings timeline is enough to keep teams like Miami watching every development closely. [Read more 🡒]
Dolphins Vikings Game Had A Wild Referee Moment Fans Need To See
A referee rarely becomes part of the games most replayed sequence, but that is exactly what happened during the Dolphins-Vikings matchup when NFL official Adrian Hill got caught in the middle of a tackle. Vikings linebacker Eric Wilson ran into Hill and knocked him down, and the moment instantly shifted attention away from the play itself as fans saw the official stay down briefly before getting back to his feet.
Hills immediate reaction added another layer to an already strange scene, with him confronting Wilson and another official stepping in to keep things from going any further. The incident spread quickly on social media, where it became one of the more talked-about moments from the game and a reminder of how chaotic an NFL sideline can get in a split second. [Read more 🡒]
Dolphins Rebuild Already Looks Shakier Than Fans Feared
Three weeks into the season, the Dolphins are already stuck in a spot nobody in South Florida wanted to imagine this early, and the trip to Minnesota only sharpens the pressure. Miami is trying to survive while working through a rebuild that has been made harder by a thin quarterback picture and a coaching staff that is already being judged more on process than promise.
De'Von Achanes season-ending injury is the kind of setback that changes the feel of a year, especially for a team that needed stability more than anything else. Add in a matchup with the Vikings, another winless start, and the questions around how quickly this group can find traction start to get louder, even if the answers are still weeks away. [Read more 🡒]