New Dolphins RB Sony Michel hopes to channel inner Ricky Williams with hometown team

It didn’t take long for someone to point out the jersey number new Dolphins running back Sony Michel picked.

“Oh yeah, 34, everyone knows this is a great number,” Michel said as he looked down at the teal numbers printed on his white practice jersey. “Ricky Williams ran the ball hard here, did a lot of numbers. I can’t just be rocking it just to rock it. I’ve got to come out here and put in some work.”

Michel, an Plantation American Heritage alumnus, spoke to reporters after Tuesday’s organized team activities practice, his first comments since signing with the Dolphins last week.

“It feels great to be back home,” Michel said, “to be with a great team, a team that I’ve watched from afar, a team that I’ve competed against. Knowing guys on the team and knowing what they’re about, knowing how hard this team works and seeing how hard this team works, I’m excited.”

Michel said it wasn’t necessarily a dream to play for his hometown team, even as he became a five-star recruit at American Heritage and earned a litany of Division I offers, ultimately committing to Georgia. But the thought started to creep into his mind when he was drafted by the Dolphins’ divisional rival, the New England Patriots, in 2018 and made the annual trip to Miami, where he got to see family and friends.

That thought turned into reality soon after the 2022 NFL Draft. Michel was a free agent after four seasons and winning a championship in his sole season with the Los Angeles Rams. The Dolphins brought him in for a visit in early May and the two sides agreed to a one-year deal worth $1.75 million a week later.

“We had an opportunity in the offseason to add a player of his caliber, of his pedigree,” coach Mike McDaniel said, “just him as a human being, being a multiple Super Bowl winner, we jumped at the opportunity. His interests fit our interests, and competition for the Miami Dolphins is only a good thing. And I think one thing that’s unique about that particular room is no one shies away from competition, and everybody in there is excited for the offense or the opportunities and wants the best man to win.”

Michel joins a running back room that was significantly upgraded during the offseason, as the Dolphins also signed running back Chase Edmonds and Raheem Mostert. They all join returning players Myles Gaskin and Salvon Ahmed, who led the team’s backfield for much of the 2021 season. Mostert, who is still recovering from a knee cartilage injury sustained last season, and Edmonds didn’t participate in the voluntary session Tuesday, leaving Michel to take the bulk of the practice reps with Gaskin and Ahmed.

“My whole thing is: if you want to be a good runner, you’ve got to compete with great runners,” Michel said, “and that’s one of the reasons why I came here.”

McDaniel’s affinity for the run game has been well documented, and while one player likely won’t emerge as a bell-cow, it’s easy to see Michel, 5-11 and 215 pounds, finding a role as a between-the-tackles, power runner.

“McDaniel is a coach who believes in running the football,” Michel said, “and I do truly believe in this league, to be successful, you have to run the football and stop the run. And he’s committed to it. And that’s why I came here also.”