Countdown to Kickoff: Profile on Miami Dolphins No. 23 Jay Ajayi
The Countdown to Kickoff series continues on with a profile on Miami Dolphins running back Jay Ajayi.
Just over three weeks to go.
There are exactly 23 days until the Denver Broncos and Carolina Panthers open up the 2016 NFL regular season with a Super Bowl rematch. In the meantime, we at NFL Spin Zone are going to profile a player each day as we countdown the days to kickoff.
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We began by previewing the rookie defensive end of the San Diego Chargers in Joey Boss (No. 99) more than two months ago. On Saturday, it was New England Patriots cornerback No. 24 Cyrus Jones. You can play catch up here.
Aug 12, 2016; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Giants outside linebacker B.J. Goodson (93) tackles Miami Dolphins running back Jay Ajayi (23) during the first half of the preseason game at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports
When it comes to the No. 23, there are certainly some prominent names on active rosters. From Arizona Cardinals running back Chris Johnson to Cleveland Browns cornerback Joe Haden. There’s Pittsburgh Steelers safety Mike Mitchell and Washington Redskins veteran defensive back DeAngelo Hall. Let’s not forget Terence Newman (Minnesota Vikings), Darius Slay (Detroit Lions), Damarious Randall (Green Bay Packers) and Patrick Chung (New England Patriots).
Here we will focus on a changing of the guard. Or make that running back. With Lamar Miller signing this offseason with the Houston Texans (and replacing franchise rushing leader Arian Foster, who wore No. 23 for the organization), second-year pro Jay Ajayi will be counted on for a lot more this season. Ironically, he and Foster are now teammates as the four-time Pro Bowler inked a deal with Miami this offseason.
As for Ajayi, there’s not much of a sample size when it comes to his debut campaign. He finished second on the club with 187 rushing yards and one score on 49 carries, plus caught seven passes for 90 yards.
The 2015 fifth-round pick from Boise State was even less impressive in the club’s preseason debut this past week vs. the Giants. Ajayi managed only six yards on a pair of attempts and was 0-of-2 when it came to passes thrown his way. Could he losing the starting job to Foster before the end of training camp.
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The young running back will get another chance to redeem himself this week against the Dallas Cowboys. In any case, the Dolphins are going to need more from a running game that finished 23rd in the NFL this past season. New head coach Adam Gase and offensive coordinator Clyde Christensen are hoping to rev up Miami’s attack this fall and Ajayi needs to be a big-time contributor.