The Miami Dolphins moved on from Raheem Mostert on Friday ending his three-year stint with the team, but not before he produced one of the franchise's best seasons ever for a running back.
Mostert set single-season franchise records for overall touchdowns (21) and rushing touchdowns (18) in 2023 while helping the team finish with an 11-6 record.
Mostert broke the rushing touchdown record of 16 set by Ricky Williams in 2002 and the overall touchdown mark of 18 set by wide receiver Mark Clayton.
For his performance, Mostert was rewarded with the first Pro Bowl invitation of his career.
But where does that performance rank among running back seasons in Dolphins history?
We've put together our top 10 list, which spans from 1972 to 2003.
TOP 10 DOLPHINS RUNNING BACK SEASONS
1. Ricky Williams 2002 — Williams led the NFL with a franchise-record 1,853 yards, averaged 4.8 yards per carry and had 47 receptions out of the backfield. This is a slam-dunk No. 1.
2. Jay Ajayi, 2016 — Now we can start having real debate about the pecking order, but we went with Ajayi for his 1,272 rushing yards and eight touchdowns, but perhaps just as importantly his three 200-yard games.
3. Delvin Williams, 1978 — Like Ricky Williams in 2002, Delvin Williams shined in his first season after joining the Dolphins via trade. In that 1978 season, Williams set a team franchise record that would stand until that 2002 season. He also averaged 4.6 yards per carry and had eight touchdowns.
4. Ricky Williams, 2003 — Yep, Ricky Williams gets a second season near the top. While his average per carry went down from 4.8 yards to 3.5 and his rushing touchdowns from 16 to 9, he became a bigger factor in the passing game with 50 receptions.
5. Raheem Mostert, 2023 — While Mostert's 1,012 rushing yards is pretty far down the list of Dolphins single-season list, it's impossible to overlook the 21 touchdowns.
6. Mercury Morris, 1972 — We almost thought of going 6a and 6b with Morris and backfield partner Larry Csonka from the same season, but Morris gets the nod because he had twice as many rushing touchdowns (12 to 6) and three times as many receptions (15-5).
7. Larry Csonka, 1972 — While Morris finished with 1,000 yards even that season, Csonka had a team-high 1,112 yards on perhaps the greatest rushing team in NFL history.
8. De'Von Achane, 2023 — While his 800 rushing yards might seem like a modest total, Achane's 7.8 average set an NFL record for players with at least 100 carries. He also had 11 total touchdowns.
9. Ronnie Brown, 2008 — One certainly could argue that Brown deserves a higher spot simply because of how well he ran the Wildcat offense that season, and we'd have no objection. His numbers were modest, though, with 916 rushing yards, 10 touchdowns and a 4.3 average.
10. Lamar Smith, 2000 — While Smith loses points for a pedestrian 3.7 yards-per-carry average, he did rush for 1,139 yards in helping the Dolphins win the AFC East title and his playoff performance against Indianapolis was one for the ages.
Honorable mention (in chronological order): Larry Csonka, 1971; Andra Franklin, 1982; Tony Nathan, 1985; Karim Abdul-Jabbar, 1996; Ricky Williams, 2009; Reggie Bush, 2011; Lamar Miller, 2014; De'Von Achane, 2024.
