The Miami Dolphins’ desire to trade for a running back has been well-documented over the last few days. So it should come as no surprise that the Dolphins have reportedly inquired about Las Vegas Raiders star running back Josh Jacobs.
“One other nugget on the team’s running back pursuit: Taylor and Dalvin Cook aren’t the only running backs that Miami made calls about in recent weeks,” Barry Jackson wrote.”A source with another team insisted the Dolphins also inquired about 2022 NFL rushing leader Josh Jacobs, who has yet to sign a $10.1 million franchise tag with the Raiders. Jacobs would need to sign the tag to be traded, and talks between Miami and Las Vegas never advanced. Jacobs ran for a league-high 1,653 yards last season.”
Jacobs, 25, was selected with the No. 24 overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft and has played four seasons in the NFL, all as a member of the Raiders franchise.
Jacobs’ 2022 season was the best of his pro career by a wide margin. He put up huge numbers with the Raiders during the 2022 regular season, as he ran for 12 touchdowns and averaged a league-best 97.2 rushing yards per game in 17 games with the team (all starts).
These numbers were good enough for the 5-foot-10 running back to finish fifth in the 2022 NFL AP Offensive Player of the Year voting. Only Justin Jefferson of the Minnesota Vikings, Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs, Jalen Hurts of the Philadelphia Eagles and Tyreek Hill of the Dolphins ended up with more votes.
Jacobs’ contributions didn’t translate to a lot of wins, however, as the Raiders finished the 2022 regular season with a subpar 6-11 record, the second-worst in the AFC West, ahead of only the Denver Broncos.
The Dolphins would be wise to pursue a trade for Jacobs. They were one of the worst rushing teams in the NFL a season ago, as they ran for just 1,686 total rushing yards as a team during the 2022 regular season, the seventh-fewest of any team in the league.
The addition of Jacobs could change the Dolphins from a bottom-tier rushing offense to a very effective one. After all, he ran for 1,653 total yards in the 2022 regular season, the most of any player in the NFL and nearly as many yards that the Dolphins ran as a team.
Here’s to hoping that the Dolphins will trade for a star running back before the 2023 regular season kicks off next month, whether it’s Jacobs or Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor.
