Back in the summer, Miami Dolphins running back Jaylen Wright boldly proclaimed that he would be “way more involved” in “everything” as a sophomore in the 2025 season. It’s safe to say that his prediction has not worked out.
The Dolphins are six games through their campaign, and not only has he not been heavily involved in their offense, but he has yet to make his season debut. ESPN’s Dan Graziano has reported that the Dolphins could trade the young running back prior to the trade deadline, which is slated for Nov. 4.
“If Miami decides to trade players before the deadline, it could move on from Jaylen Wright,” Graziano wrote. “He was a healthy scratch Sunday against the [Los Angeles] Chargers and seems to have been supplanted by rookie Ollie Gordon II on the depth chart behind starter De’Von Achane.”
Wright has been available for the team’s last four games after an injury sidelined him for the first two, yet Miami has kept him glued to the bench. He was a fourth-round pick back in the 2024 NFL Draft, and while he had a disappointing rookie season, he was at least a somewhat consistent presence on the field as a first-year player.
The 22-year-old appeared in 15 of Miami’s 17 games in the 2024 campaign and even logged a start. Now, he finds himself on the outside looking in on the Dolphins’ running back rotation, and a rookie sixth-round pick is playing ahead of him.
Gordon has yet to miss a single game for the Dolphins this season, but he hasn’t even played all that well for the most part. He’s totaled more than 10 rushing yards in just one of the six games he’s played in, and he even ran for negative yardage against the Carolina Panthers recently on Oct. 5.
If the Dolphins aren’t willing to give Wright a look even with how mediocre Gordon has been, it’s clear that the former needs to get dealt elsewhere for a real opportunity at consistent playing time.
Perhaps if any team in the league should take a flier on Wright, it’s the Cincinnati Bengals. The Bengals have averaged far and away the fewest rushing yards per game of any team in the league so far this season at just 56.7.
Whether he ends up in Cincinnati or another team, Wright should be hoping that he will have a new NFL home soon.
