NFL Network analyst Brian Baldinger has seen plenty of football over the years, both on the field and in the broadcast booth.
The veteran announcer played for the Dallas Cowboys, Indianapolis Colts, and Philadelphia Eagles over a 12-year career. He eventually earned a career in the NFL broadcast booth, calling games for FOX for years.
As such, he has a keen eye for nuances and minor details that separate players. He was all but laughing in disbelief after going through tape of former Tennessee Vols RB Jaylen Wright over the weekend.
Baldinger pointed out some things that Wright did during his most recent preseason game on Friday night for the Miami Dolphins that should get him involved in their offense this fall.
“He plays the game like he’s trapped inside a pinball machine, just bouncing off people,” Baldinger noted.
“Look at this two-foot jump cut of his,” Baldinger continued. “Bam, he jumps two holes.
“Like he is – I don’t know what the pecking order is at running back. One thing I know – Mike McDaniel can find you a running back. In the draft, in free agency, out on the street. It’s what he does better than anything else.”
McDaniel, general manager Chris Grier, and the Dolphins paid a significant price to go get Wright in the fourth round of the 2024 NFL Draft, trading a 2025 third round pick to move in and take the former Vols standout at pick #120. That’s a lot of faith from a team that already had perhaps the best running back duo in the NFL last year in Raheem Mostert and De’Von Achane.
Now, Wright adds another level of explosiveness to the Dolphins’ offense that hasn’t lacked in that area. And it’s unlikely that Baldinger isn’t the only evaluator to be shaking his head at the skillset of the VFL.
We’ll see just how quickly the rookie can carve out a role for himself in the Dolphins’ offense starting next month.
