Mike McDaniel provides key update on Miami Dolphins RB Salvon Ahmed

Miami Dolphins running back Salvon Ahmed suffered an injury in the second quarter of Saturday’s preseason game against the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Dolphins went on to lose to the Jaguars by a final score of 31-18, meaning they finished the 2023 preseason with a subpar 1-2 record.

Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel recently provided an injury update on Ahmed.

Ahmed, 24, has played three seasons in the NFL, all as a member of the Dolphins franchise. He is fresh off the worst season of his NFL career, as he had himself a forgettable 2022 season. He ran for just 64 yards and one touchdown in 12 games played during the 2022 regular season (zero starts).

Ahmed couldn’t earn consistent playing time for a Dolphins team that was one of the worst rushing teams in the league a season ago. Miami ran for a total of 1,686 yards during the 2022 regular season, the seventh-fewest of any team in the NFL.

For perspective on just how lackluster the Dolphins’ rushing game was, Las Vegas Raiders running back Josh Jacobs ended up with the most rushing yards of any player during the 2022 regular season with 1,653 rushing yards — that’s only 33 yards fewer than the Dolphins ran for as a team.

The 5-foot-11 running back’s best season in the NFL came during his rookie season, the 2020 season. He ran for 319 yards and three touchdowns across six games during the 2020 regular season (four starts). Additionally, Ahmed averaged 53.2 rushing yards per game during the 2020 regular season — the most of his pro career by a wide margin — and his longest rushing attempt that season was for a whopping 31 yards.

McDaniels’ injury update on Ahmed is good news for Dolphins fans. He may have had a down year in the 2022 season, but he is only 24 years old and likely still has his best football ahead of him. Since he is considered day-to-day, hopefully Ahmed will be ready to play when the team’s regular season kicks off next month.