On Thursday's podcast, we pointed to the loss of running back Knowshon Moreno as a big dose of bad news for the Dolphins.
Miami's rookie fill-in, Damien Williams, doesn't agree.
"I won't say it's a big loss," the undrafted runner said of Moreno this week, per The Palm Beach Post.
Williams could have chosen his words more carefully, but he didn't back down, pointing to the presence of Lamar Miller and Daniel Thomas as more than enough to keep Miami's run attack afloat, starting Sunday against the Chicago Bears.
"I won't say it's a big loss just because we have other guys who can fill in what he's been doing," Williams said. "But what he brings to the table as a character and how he is on the field, that's going to be well-missed, because he's a fired-up kind of person. He gets you pumped up to go and it's fun to watch him run, but as far as a disappointment to a loss, it's not really a loss."
We'd argue Williams on this point, largely because Miami's running game has never matched the dynamic performance it put on in a Week 1 win over the Patriots. Moreno rumbled for 134 of the team's 191 yards on the ground that day, giving the Dolphins a physical presence out of the backfield that no other back on the roster can match.
Miller is a talented runner in space, but not well-suited for every-down duties. Thomas is only on the team because of Moreno's injury. Maybe Williams can serve as the X-factor to fill in the gap, but his 39 yards off 12 totes have yet to suggest a miracle worker.
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