Dolphins RB Raheem Mostert was once overlooked. Now, he's a huge part of Miami's offense

Updated Dec. 27, 2023 7:36 p.m. ET

Associated Press

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Raheem Mostert heard the talk all offseason.

The Miami Dolphins were supposedly interested in adding Jonathan Taylor to their running back room before Taylor signed a contract extension with the Colts in October. Before that, the Dolphins reportedly made an exploratory call to the Las Vegas Raiders about Josh Jacobs. And Pro Bowl running back Dalvin Cook named Miami as a place he could see himself playing before he ultimately signed with the Jets in August.

That offseason chatter didn't faze Mostert. As an undrafted player who bounced around early in his career, he knows the feeling of being overlooked.

Mostert played for four teams over his first two seasons before landing with San Francisco in 2016. After six seasons with the 49ers, including a trip to the Super Bowl after the 2019 season, Mostert followed coach Mike McDaniel to Miami, where he has had the two most productive years of his career.

The 31-year-old currently leads the NFL with 18 rushing touchdowns, and his 1,012 rushing yards are the fourth-most in the league — all at an age when most running backs see their production start to slip.

Teammates and coaches have praised his toughness and dedication, but Mostert still considers himself overlooked.

“I’ve always been an underdog and that’s OK,” Mostert said, “but I’m going to show everybody, I’m going to prove everybody wrong, because that’s what fuels me the most is proving somebody wrong.”

Mostert's 18 rushing TDs are two more than the previous franchise record set by Ricky Williams in 2002.

Mostert, who was born and raised about 230 miles up the Atlantic coast in New Smyrna Beach, returned to his hometown after breaking the record and thought about the times he and his brother wore Williams' jersey.

“To be able to break that record, it’s so surreal for both him and I,” Mostert said. "We looked up to Ricky when we were younger.”

Mostert also holds the Dolphins record for total touchdowns in a season with 21, three more than receiver Mark Clayton in 1984. He rushed for 46 yards in last week's 22-20 win over Dallas, which put him over 1,000 yards in a season for the first time in his career. He's Miami's first 1,000-yard rusher since Jay Ajayi had 1,272 in 2016. Mostert is also the first player to rush for 1,000 yards in his 30s since Adrian Peterson ran for 1,042 with Washington in 2018 at age 33.

“Obviously, my age isn’t stopping anything,” Mostert said. “I’m just trying to set the standard for a group of guys who want to come in and feel like if you want to be a 31-, 32-year-old running back, it’s OK. You can go out here and still produce at a high level because obviously I’m doing that at an exceptional rate. It’s just a lot of fun and I’m having fun doing it.”

Mostert said he worked this offseason on his body after he spent last season recovering from a 2021 knee surgery. He also developed his understanding of Miami's offense, which went from the No. 25 rushing offense at the end of last season to a top-five unit entering Week 17.

The Dolphins have the No. 1 scoring offense thanks largely to Mostert's production in the red zone, where he said he does anything he can to get downhill and not leave any yards on the field.

“The chip on his shoulder that he uses for a competitive advantage never goes away,” McDaniel said. “In one way shape or form to find his formula, which is no one thinks he’s good enough, ever. That’s the way he looks at it. You’ve got to understand, the stuff that he’s gone through in his career is real. That would break most people.”

NOTES: Mostert did not practice Wednesday because of a knee/ankle injury suffered against the Cowboys. ... WR Jaylen Waddle has a high ankle sprain, but McDaniel did not rule him out for Sunday's game at Baltimore. McDaniel described Waddle's injury as “not overly severe,” but it's also the type of injury that could make cutting on the field difficult. Waddle did not practice Wednesday, along with RG Rob Hunt (hamstring), WR Tyreek Hill (ankle), LT Terron Armstead (knee/ankle/back), RB De'Von Achane (toe) and WR Robbie Chosen (concussion protocol).

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