Dolphins Stars Have a Secret Speed Competition

The Miami Dolphins offense has sped past opponents on a weekly basis. One thing fueling their fastest players is the motivation to speed past each other.

The Dolphins' core of former track stars — running backs Raheem Mostert and De'Von Achane, and wide receivers Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle — hold a weekly ritual of checking the NFL's Next Gen Stats page. They look to see who clocked the fastest speed that week, and are constantly looking to break each other's best number.

"There's bragging rights," Mostert told The Messenger. "We're just trying to have fun at the end of the day. We see who has the fastest time and we just try to do our best the following week to break that speed."

The five fastest speeds by ball-carriers in the NFL this season have all been run by Hill, Achane and Mostert, per Next Gen Stats. Hill has had the fastest speed by a Dolphin in five out of the first eight weeks. He ran the fastest speed of any player in the NFL so far in 2023, in Week 5 on a 64-yard touchdown against the New York Giants, clocking at 22.01 mph. Hill's 41-yard touchdown against the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 1, with a top speed of 21.66 mph, was the fourth-fastest in the league.

Achane, the rookie running back, has claimed the fastest speed for the Dolphins twice, and owns the second- and third-fastest speeds by any ball-carrier in the NFL in 2023. He hit 21.93 mph on a 67-yard touchdown run against the Denver Broncos in Week 3, and 21.76 mph on a 76-yard run in Week 5 vs. the Giants.

Mostert only claimed the fastest speed once this year, clocking 21.62 mph on a 43-yard touchdown run in Week 2 against the New England Patriots. It was the fastest speed in the NFL that week and the fifth-fasted speed by a ball-carrier so far this season, behind Hill's and Achane's top-four sprints.

Still, Mostert is determined to surpass Hill and Achane's fastest speeds and take over the top spot in the league before the season is over."I know that Tyreek and De'Von are leading right now, but don't worry, there's one game where I'm going to get that and take that over," Mostert says.

The 31-year-old Mostert is the only player older than 30 among Miami's quartet of speedsters, and he plays a position notorious for steep physical decline well before the age of 30. But he's defied that trend, having already scored a career-high nine touchdowns in 2023 — he's on pace to shatter his career best for rushing and receiving yards as well.

Mostert credits his late-career resurgence to his lifestyle and recovery routine in recent years. Consuming fish oil is an essential practice, he says, improving muscle and joint health while reducing inflammation. One of Mostert's more high-tech tools is a BEMER therapy device, which promotes blood circulation, playing into muscular health and performance.

"I try to make sure I'm doing everything [in terms of] due diligence of serving myself, and the integrity of my health," Mostert says. "Whether it be going in the cold tub for 15-20 minutes, or doing contrasts of a hot and cold tub, going in the sauna, steam room to make sure I'm breathing and controlling my breathing, to having the training staff work on my joints and my feet and everything."

Mostert will continue to lean on those routines as he maintains his role in Miami's historic offense this year under head coach Mike McDaniel. The Dolphins lead the NFL in total offensive yards with 453.3 per game, and scoring with 33.9 points per game. They aren't far off the NFL record of 37.9 points per game, set by the Denver Broncos in 2013.

Miami is tied for the best record in the AFC at 6–2. Their Week 9 trip to Germany against the Chiefs is an opportunity to get a leg up in the conference race, while Mostert and his teammates keep competing in their own.