Jaylen Wright is back in practice and back at the top of the Miami Dolphins' running back depth chart, a turnaround that puts him in line for his third start on Sunday. He missed the Chiefs game with a foot injury, but he was a full participant this week and the Dolphins now need him to help carry the offense without De'Von Achane.
That need is immediate because Achane is on IR for the season after tearing his ACL in Week 3, and the running game has already shifted to Wright and Ollie Gordon II. Wright's return matters because the Dolphins are looking for a back who can do more than run the ball; they need him on passing downs to protect Malik Willis, peel off blocks and disguise screen routes.
The numbers show why Wright's role is bigger than a simple depth-chart move. He has started just two games in three seasons, has a 3.9 yards-per-carry average and has logged 141 rushes for 547 yards and two touchdowns. He also has only 8 receptions in his NFL career, which is part of why Miami is treating his workload as a mix of carries and support duties rather than a pure feature-back assignment.
Still, being listed as the top running back does not mean Wright is about to take every snap. He will most assuredly split carries with Ollie Gordon II, who stepped up after Achane went down on the 4th play of the game last week. The Dolphins turned in two drives of more than 11 plays and had a 21-play opening drive, but they are still struggling to finish drives, which makes the backfield rotation a practical issue rather than a cosmetic one.
What comes next is simple enough: Wright gets the start Sunday, and the real question is how the workload is divided once the game begins. With Achane out, the Dolphins are no longer searching for a temporary fix. They are trying to find out whether Wright can be the lead name on the roster and still share the job in a backfield built around him and Ollie Gordon II.
