Jeff Wilson Jr. shines as Miami’s top running back just days after being traded to the team

Running back Jeff Wilson Jr. was traded to the Dolphins on Tuesday and caught a touchdown pass from Tua Tagovailoa on Sunday.

Wilson joined the team after Chase Edmonds was traded to Denver for Bradley Chubb and led Miami’s backfield with 28 snaps. While Raheem Mostert was right behind him with 27 snaps, Wilson wasted no time getting comfortable with wearing aqua and orange on the weekends.

“I think they both are starter-caliber players,” coach Mike McDaniel said on Monday when talking about Mostert and Wilson. “So you kind of make sure that they both have opportunities. They’ll always have opportunities in each individual game, but they’re both very well aware and well-versed that there’s certain times that guys feel it. So when that happens, we stay out of the way.

“The great news about our running back room and really our team in general is we have a lot of people acknowledging their part in someone’s success. The running back room gets pumped when a running back makes a play – it’s not really ‘I’ or ‘me.’ I think that’s a huge variable in team success that’s very, very underrated.”

Wilson carried the ball nine times for a total of 51 yards. His longest run against the Chicago Bears went for 28, which matched Edmonds of Miami’s longest run on the year. Mostert, who also ran the ball nine times, finished with 26 yards and also scored a touchdown.

With that said, Wilson also found the end zone after catching a pass from Tagovailoa. He caught all three of the passes that came his way, adding 21 yards through the air, Two pass attempts went to Mostert and neither was completed.

Miami will look to keep the momentum going at home on Sunday against a Cleveland team that is allowing 123 rushing yards per game, which ranks No. 22 in the league. The Browns have played better of late, surrendering just 98 yards per game on the ground over the last three games.

The Dolphins rank 29th in the league with an average of 87 rushing yards per game after rushing for 77 yards against Chicago.