Parallels of the 2023 Dolphins and the 2026 Vikings

In 2023, the Miami Dolphins shocked the NFL, becoming one of the league's most explosive rushing offenses. Before the season, they were projected to be an average rushing offense at best. Instead, they finished 6th in rushing yards anchored by two of fantasy football's biggest values that year, Raheem Mostert and De’Von Achane. 

While there is no identical comparison, I couldn’t help but notice some similarities between that Dolphins team and the Minnesota Vikings headed into this year. From the shared members in their coaching staff, to the offensive personnel and even their projected roles make the parallels worth mentioning. 

The Opportunity Of A New Engine

Heading into 2023, Miami was expected to split touches between Raheem Mostert and Jeff Wilson Jr with Jeff Wilson projected to get majority of the touches. However during preseason Wilson suffered injuries that forced him onto the injured reserve. With these injuries, Mostert was thrust into a new role being the primary early down back. 

Minnesota this year enters with a pretty similar setup. Aaron Jones is expected to lead this backfield heading into the year, but there are legitimate reasons to believe his workload could decline. Last year he handled the fewest amount of touches he has handled since his rookie season. He also had a distinct drop in his advanced efficiency metrics. His yards per carry dropped from 4.5 to 4.2, his yards after contact dropped from 3.26 to 2.70. His PFF grade dropped and his elusive rating fell from top 25 to 65th among qualifiers. These trends, paired  with his age, suggest that decline in efficiency could continue, which potentially could create a larger role for Jordan Mason. 

Why Jordan Mason Fits This Scheme

This comparison isn’t supposed to suggest Mason is the next Mostert. They are completely different styles of runners. Mostert won with exceptional speed and acceleration, while Mason thrived on power and vision. Instead this is a comparison of roles. And this offensive style doesn’t require identical players to execute a similar role. Instead, they adapt to the players strengths.

Frank Smith's Schematic Advantage

That possibility becomes much more interesting when you consider the Vikings coaching staff. Frank Smith, who helped coordinate Miami’s offense during that breakout rushing year, is now the Vikings assistant head coach. In Miami, Smith capitalized on the light defensive boxes created by Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle by stretching the field vertically. 

Minnesota has the same potential to create those same defensive looks with their new quarterback Kyler Murray and one of the league's best wr duos in the league with Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison. Defenses will once again be forced to respect the passing game before committing extra defenders to stop the run. While Jefferson and Addison aren't direct comparisons to Hill and Waddle stylistically, they still are capable of creating favorable rushing lanes by forcing defenders to cover every inch of the field. 

In that environment, Mason could occupy a very similar role to the one Mostert played in Miami. He won't rely on outside speed like mostert did, but Minnesota could lean on Mason's vision and physical rushing style to attack interior lanes while potentially being the teams early down back and goal line back. If that role develops it wouldn't be shocking in the slightest to see him get around 15-18 carries a game.

Replicating Achane's Big Play Blueprint

However the similarities don't stop there. If Mason filled the structural role mostert previously filled, then rookie Demond Claiborne shares several traits with the role Achane played. Claiborne enters the NFL as a hyper explosive undersized back with legitimate breakaway speed posting a 4.37 second 40 yard dash. 

That exact breakaway speed and explosiveness on outside runs is exactly why Claiborne could be a natural fit inside this similar  scheme Frank Smith implemented in Miami. During that 2023 season Achane was frequently used to attack the perimeter with his speed, while Miami consistently looked to use the explosiveness of both Achane and Mostert to stress the defense horizontally and capitalize on the light boxes created by the passing attack. 

I still believe Minnesota can find ways to utilize Mason’s strengths within that structure, just in a different way. However, Claiborne's rushing style arguably fits the style Miami used in 2023 more than Mason does. His outside speed and explosiveness gives Minnesota a whole new way to attack the defense, and Mason's presence could create even more of those opportunities for explosive plays for Claiborne. If Mason establishes himself as a consistent rushing threat on the inside, Claiborne could become a major change of pace weapon capable of creating big plays on the outside runs, pitches and in the passing game. 

The Potential Of Weaponizing Claiborne Through The Air

His receiving capabilities could be especially important as well, because Mason has never been a heavily utilized receiving back, while Claiborne’s college production suggests he is a very capable route runner. He does have some concerns with drops, but his combination of route running and YAC explosiveness gives him high upside in that department. 

Conclusion

While none of this guarantees Minnesota will recreate Miami’s 2023 rushing success, the similarities in coaching philosophy, offensive structure, personnel usage and backfield construction make it difficult not to notice the similarities. And whether these similarities actually lead to fantasy production for Jordan Mason and Demond Claiborne is still to be seen. But with Mason and Claiborne both going undrafted in plenty leagues I feel this backfield has become very under looked. At this ADP, I feel both players offer intriguing upside and are great swings in the late rounds and for DFS leagues.