Rookie head coach of the Miami Dolphins, Adam Gase, is a huge Arian Foster fan and has been for a long time. He said as much on Tuesday when speaking to the local media in South Florida as the franchise gets set to kick off training camp on Friday, July 29.
Gase lauded Foster’s skill set and discussed how he will potentially push the entire running back group this season.
“I think it adds great competition to that group,” Gase said, via Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald. “I really like his skill set. I’ve been an admirer of his for… I don’t even know how long he has been playing. It just feels like forever.
“I’ve always been a fan of how he does things. He’s the type of guy that he can run his route tree similar to what a wide receiver’s is. …He runs about as smooth as any running back that I’ve ever seen. I’ll be interested to see how far we can grow the running back position with him.”
When asked about Foster’s health issues and current recovery from the Achilles injury that cost him most of 2015, Gase said he trusts his staff to keep track of Foster and all his players. He noted that the coaches and training staff spent significant time with Foster during both of his visits that preceded being signed to the team.
The exciting news for Dolphins fans is that Gase knows how to make good use out of dual-threat running backs like Foster. Matt Forte, who is similar to Foster in this regard, totaled 1,287 yards and five touchdowns playing in 13 games last year for Gase in Chicago. Knowshon Moreno and C.J. Anderson both had similar success as dual-threat running backs in 2013-14, respectively.
If Foster can stay healthy and hasn’t lost his wheels after a the past few injury-filled seasons, then he’s capable of putting up numbers to rival the best backs in the NFL. Let us not forget his status as a fantasy football god who totaled 47 touchdowns between 2010-12.
But the reality is that Foster likely won’t be the same as he was in his glory years. The Houston Texans ran him into the ground, facilitating his inevitable decline.
Still, even if he can only contribute for spurts at a time, Arian Foster will be a boon to Miami’s offense. Right now the team’s other two main options are Jay Ajayi and Kenyan Drake, both of whom have immense potential, but neither of whom can likely carry a full load.