Salvon Ahmed

Back on another one-year deal, Ahmed returns for his a fourth consecutive season as a depth option for the Dolphins. Having spent his entire career in Miami, Ahmed is obviously familiar with the team's system and in good standing with the coaching staff, but on the flip side his upside with the team is already well-established. Across 12 appearances last season, Ahmed was held to less than 100 yards from scrimmage for the first time in his career, and third-round rookie Devon Achane now crowds the backfield further.

Ahmed handled a short-yardage role for Miami last season, turning 54 carries into 149 yards across 13 games, but without a single touchdown. With the Dolphins now having added Chase Edmonds and Raheem Mostert to the backfield and Myles Gaskin also still around, Ahmed appears buried on the depth chart.

Ahmed went undrafted last spring, signing with the 49ers before making his way to Miami, where he got a second chance to be Myles Gaskin’s backup (the two played together in college). Gaskin played well, especially in the passing game, but between a knee injury and a stint on the COVID-19 list, he missed six weeks. Ahmed filled in as the starter for three of those, scoring a pair of TDs while averaging 18.7 carries for 83.3 yards and 2.3 catches for 13.7 yards. He also missed three weeks with a shoulder injury, but the solid showing could put Ahmed ahead of offseason signing Malcolm Brown if Miami needs to replace an injured/ineffective Gaskin.

After going undrafted out of Washington, Ahmed shrewdly signed with the 49ers, perhaps the best possible spot for an overlooked running back to make an impact. While he showed plenty of speed and elusiveness in college, Ahmed's lack of power, vision and indecisiveness when hitting the hole kept him from being a consistent producer. He did show solid receiving skills, but he'll need to significantly improve his effort level in pass protection if he wants to see significant work on passing downs in the NFL. Ahmed is something of a project, but in a Kyle Shanahan offense that always seems to find ways to get its backs the ball in space, his strengths could be accentuated and his flaws minimzed. The depth chart remains loaded even after Matt Breida's departure, but as Raheem Mostert showed last year, backs who put in the work and flash when they get a chance are rewarded in San Francisco.