By Stephen Patterson
The Miami Dolphins have their hands full this offseason as they attempt to revamp an offense that struggled heavily during much of last season.
Miami wasn't horrible in the running game last season. as they were 21st in the league with 102.7 yards per game, but with Ricky Williams likely on his way out of Miami and Ronnie Brown likely not far behind, the Dolphins definitely need to another running back in free agency or in the draft.
While there are several quality options available, DeAngelo Williams might be one of the most attractive targets for the Dolphins to consider in free agency.
After the Carolina Panthers used their franchise tag on center Ryan Kalil, Williams became free to sign with any team as he became an unrestricted free agent.
Considering the Panthers are in the midst of a rebuilding stage and still likely another couple of years away from being serious playoff contenders again in the NFC, I expect DeAngelo will be playing for a new franchise this season.
Williams only played in six games last season for Carolina, as he was placed on injured reserve by the Panthers after he suffered an injury to his foot late against the San Francisco 49ers on Oct. 24.
The injury wasn't that serious, however, as it was reported that it was only a sprain. Considering Williams is only 27 years old, I highly doubt the injury will have any lingering effects on him moving forward.
While it's almost a guarantee that Ricky Williams will not be returning to the Dolphins this season, there is still a chance that the Dolphins will decide to retain the services of Ronnie Brown.
DeAngelo excelled with the Panthers when they split the backfield duties between him and Jonathan Stewart, so I don't think it's too much of a reach to assume he would be fairly successful splitting the running duties with Brown or another back in Miami if needed.
While I expect DeAngelo wouldn't have a problem sharing carries and extending his career, I do think he wants to be the featured back for whichever team he decides to sign with, meaning Brown would have to accept a role as the back-up or second guy if he returned.
Many NFL mock drafts I have seen since the end of the season have shown Miami using their first round pick in this April's draft on former Heisman trophy winner Mark Ingram, a running back from the University of Alabama.
While I like Ingram and think he would be a great fit with Dolphins, the signing of DeAngelo Williams would allow Miami to use that pick on another position that needs upgrading as well, more specially the quarterback position.
The Dolphins clearly struggled last season with Chad Henne under center and while some within the franchise still believe he is the team's quarterback of the future, I'm definitely not convinced and think Miami would benefit by grabbing a quarterback with the 15th pick in the draft.
One potential scenario could see the Dolphins trying to move up in the draft in an attempt to land Cam Newton.
While opinions on Newton's NFL potential vary among most scouts, I think he will be one of the top quarterbacks to come out of this draft and would be an excellent fit in Miami.
If the Dolphins could somehow land Williams in free agency and then select one of the top quarterbacks in the draft like, they would easily have a massive improvement on offense over last season.
A potential combination of Newton, Williams and wide receiver Brandon Marshall would give the Dolphins their most entertaining and crowd-pleasing offense they have had since Dan Marino retired.
It would also give them a much better chance of competing this season in one of the toughest divisions in the NFL.
DeAngelo has the potential to be a 1,500 yard, 12 touchdown running back with the right quarterback under center for the Dolphins and is easily the best option to fill the void in the backfield in Miami for the foreseeable future.
