With De'Von Achane suffering a torn ACL in Week 2 against the Kansas City Chiefs that ended his season early, the Miami Dolphins have been tinkering with their running back room over the last few weeks.
While Ollie Gordon II has been the bellcow of the backfield, running back Jaylen Wright has taken some snaps as well, with Carlos Washington Jr. also bouncing back and forth between the 53-man roster and practice squad.
Before Week 5, the Dolphins brought in a new back from outside the building, as they claimed former Washington Commanders running back Kaytron Allen off waivers. Unfortunately, it was too quick of a turn around for Allen to play against the Cincinnati Bengals, and with Miami having a bye in Week 6, he's yet to suit for the team.
Speaking with local media on Monday, Dolphins head coach Jeff Hafley explained why Miami decided to bring Allen in despite having Gordon, Wright, Washington and Jarquez Hunter (since released) in the building.
"Kaytron, he's physical," Hafley said. "We saw him firsthand when we played against Washington and practiced against Washington. He had a really successful career at Penn State. He ran for a ton of yards and had a lot of success there. When he became available, Sully and I talked, and it was a guy that we were excited about. He's young, he's only a rookie. I remember him in the draft process. Getting to see him live against Washington when we played them certainly helped. I'm excited to see what he can do."
Allen, 23, rushed for 4,180 yards and 39 touchdowns on 5.4 yards per attempt at Penn State. He earned All-Big Ten and All-American honors once.
In their preseason meeting, Allen rushed for 85 yards and a touchdown against Miami, before struggling a bit in his limited opportunities in the regular season (41 yards on 3.4 per rush).
With Wright also dealing with an injury, Allen could be asked to spell Gordon at points on Sunday, and we could get an early look at Miami's newest running back sooner than later.
This article originally appeared on Dolphins Wire: Jeff Hafley explains Dolphins newest addition to their RB room