Dolphins’ Raheem Mostert regains a vital asset. And Dolphins add former Gators standout

Dolphins running back Raheem Mostert said his doctor called him ”the fastest-healing patient that he’s ever experienced.”

He also might be the fastest, period.

Nearly a year after sustaining a serious knee injury in the 49ers’ regular-season opener against Detroit, Mostert has recaptured the elite speed that made him one of the NFL’s most dangerous breakaway threats at his position in recent years.

As a member of the 49ers, Mostert was clocked at 22 mph during games.

Last week “I hit a 21.4,” he said. “That’s really encouraging.”

Mostert, 30, chipped cartilage in his left knee in that Lions game and underwent surgery in October, which was followed by a grueling rehabilitation.

“It was difficult,” he said. “It was challenging. The first six weeks post-surgery, I couldn’t walk. I was on crutches. The six- to nine-month mark, I still wasn’t able to run or do any hard cut until month seven.”

Even though his Dallas-based doctor, Dan Cooper, was very optimistic about him making a full recovery, Mostert admitted: “You do have some questions in the back of your brain if it’s going to be what your standard is as far as speed. I am a strong-minded guy. I knew I would be able to bounce back and be fine.

“I definitely have the speed back. I might need a little more strength as far as my upper body, but I was so focused and dialed on my lower body that I’m back in full.”

In 2019 and 2020, Mostert ranked second among all NFL running backs with a 5.4 yards-per-carry average.

And he doesn’t have a lot of tread on the tracks because he has only 284 NFL regular-season carries.

There was also the glorious 2019 postseason, when he ran 29 times for 220 yards in the 49ers’ NFC Championship Game win against Green Bay.

Coincidentally, Mostert had the exact same stats (12 carries, 58 yards) in the 49ers’ other two postseason games that year — a win against Minnesota and a loss to Kansas City in the Super Bowl at Hard Rock Stadium.

Because he was initially viewed as primarily a returner, Mostert had only seven rushing attempts in his first three seasons in the league (2015-17) — including a short stint with the Dolphins — and 34 carries in his fourth.

“I’ve got plenty of good years left in me,” Mostert said. “Me, Chase [Edmonds], Myles [Gaskin], Salvon [Ahmed] is a great group of guys [in the running back room]. We’re going to carry this on through the season and lean on each other. [The effective running game that] we’ve implemented in San Francisco, we’ve got to carry that over to here.”

SWAIN ADDED

The Dolphins added a potential returner option to the practice squad in former Seahawks sixth-round pick Freddie Swain, an ex-Gator who started eight games at wide receiver for Seattle in 2021 and nine games in two seasons.

South Florida-based agent Jeff Ostrow said a dozen teams called inquiring about the 6-foot Swain after he cleared waivers this week, but he found Miami appealing, in part because it’s unclear what the Dolphins will do with their return game.

The Dolphins’ three best returners are three of arguably their five best players: Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle and Jevon Holland. It’s undetermined whether Miami will want them to return punts and kickoffs all season.

In addition to catching 38 passes for 502 yards and six touchdowns in two seasons with Seattle, he averaged 8.6 yards on 22 punt returns and 22.8 yards on six kickoff returns. He joins River Cracraft and Braylon Sanders as receivers on the Dolphins’ practice squad.

“He’s game ready; you can plug and play him,” Ostrow said. “Freddie talked to Mike McDaniel and Wes Welker a number of times [this week after Seattle waived him]. Freddie can play inside and outside; he’s a good match with Tua [Tagovailoa] on some of those short routes. He’s a fast 4.4 [in the 40], doesn’t drop the ball. One of the appeals is his return ability.”

Here’s my Friday piece detailing all of the NFL and college football media and TV coverage changes.