Myles Gaskin sprains MCL, will miss several games

The Miami Dolphins offense is seeing quite a bit of reshuffling at the halfway point of the season.

The team started off a busy Tuesday by trading wide receiver Isaiah Ford to the devision rival New England Patriots. Shortly thereafter, Miami acquired backup running back DeAndre Washington from the Kansas City Chiefs. Washington had become expendable in Kansas City following the team’s acquisition of Le’Veon Bell.

Now, it appears we know why head coach Brian Flores and general manager Chris Grier decided to add more depth to what was already a crowded (albeit average) running back room. Per Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald, starting running back Myles Gaskin has suffered a sprained MCL and will miss approximately three games. It’s unclear when Gaskin suffered the injury. During Sunday’s broadcast of Miami’s win over the Los Angeles Rams, there was no mention of a knee injury to Gaskin.

It’s likely that the Dolphins now turn to Matt Breida as the team’s starter for next weekend’s contest against the Arizona Cardinals. Breida has been the team’s primary change-of-pace option behind Gaskin and has received a handful of touches in every contest. It also wouldn’t be surprising to see the team once again play Jordan Howard on game days. The Dolphins had signed Howard to a two-year, $10 million contract this past offseason, and he was the presumptive starter heading into training camp. After several ineffective outings, Howard has been a healthy scratch for several weeks.

Miami also has Patrick Laird (who suffered a minor ankle injury against the Rams) and do-it-all rookies Lynn Bowden Jr. and Malcolm Perry as potential ball carriers. Washington will likely mix in amongst Laird, Bowden, and Perry behind Breida and Howard.