Former Tennessee Vols standout gets a big vote of confidence over established veteran as the Miami Dolphins’ preseason begins originally appeared on A to Z Sports.

The Miami Dolphins put a significant investment into former Tennessee Vols running back Jaylen Wright last year, parting with a 2025 third-round pick trading into the fourth round to select the ex-UT ballcarrier with the 120th overall pick of the 2024 NFL Draft.

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Last year, Wright saw a limited amount of work behind starter De’Von Achane, but he did hold onto a #2 role for the season, as the team released veteran Raheem Mostert – who led the NFL in rushing touchdowns in 2023 – during the season.

Thus far in training camp, veteran Alexander Mattison, who the team signed in the offseason, has looked good so far in camp. The Dolphins also drafted bruising Oklahoma State running back Ollie Gordon II in the sixth round of this year’s draft.

However, it appears the Dolphins are, for the time being, keeping Wright one play away from being the team’s starting running back. The team released its first depth chart of the season, and Wright came in as second string behind Achane, with Mattison third.

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Achane is an interesting player in that he’s electric with the ball in his hands, but it’s fair to wonder how well he’ll hold up through the grind of an NFL season. He missed four games as a rookie in 2023 on injured reserve with a knee injury and suffered a concussion last year, although he used the bye week to return and not miss a game.

As such, if Wright can hold off Mattison – who sports a 3.9 career yards per carry average with 2170 rushing yards and 15 rushing scores – through the preseason for the primary backup role, then he could be poised for a legitimate opportunity in Miami’s offense this season, whether that’s by design or by necessity.

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Wright, Mattison, and Gordon should all get substantial work during the preseason, which begins for the Dolphins on Sunday afternoon against the Bears in Chicago. We’ll see if Wright can take a good first step towards cementing his role on the team in 2025.

This story was originally reported by A to Z Sports on Aug 6, 2025, where it first appeared.