How did Miami Dolphins running back Raheem Mostert beat the odds? You can't imagine | Habib
MIAMI GARDENS — “If you can only imagine,” Dolphins running back Raheem Mostert was saying, bracing you for a story he has to tell that, well, when he finishes, you cannot imagine.
The story picks up in September 2016, when Mostert was with the Cleveland Browns, the key word being “was.” Mostert had made the 53-man roster but not for long. Now, he was getting cut on the very day his bride-to-be was having her bridal shower.
“So if you can only imagine that phone call that I had with her dad because he was the one that was hosting, helping her event,” Mostert said. “And I’ll never forget, I was sitting on the couch in our apartment and gave him that call and said, ‘Hey, man, I don’t know how to tell you this or I don’t even want to tell the ladies but, you know, I just got cut by the Browns.’ ”
It’s hard to imagine a lower point in an NFL player’s career, but with Mostert, you must be careful about attaching such labels. Just as you assume coach Mike McDaniel is exaggerating when he says Mostert has been cut “900” times, you might want to check the record books to be sure.
So why was Mostert smiling at his locker Thursday?
The Dolphins’ 2-0 record has something to do with it, just as Mostert has something to do with the team winning those first two. Mostert ranks seventh in the NFL with 158 rushing yards and shares the league lead with three rushing touchdowns. He rushed for 121 yards in Sunday’s victory over New England, scoring twice, including on a 43-yard run in which he hit 21.62 mph.
“Yeah, I could have went faster,” he said. “Tyreek (Hill) would have been upset. I didn’t want to hurt his feelings.”
At age 31, Mostert is in the range of when running backs are supposed to be slowing down. Mostert has a theory as to why he’s still outrunning people with legs that appear fresh.
“I’m truly blessed about it just because I didn’t get that tread on me early on,” he said, referring to all the times he was told he wasn’t good enough and therefore inactive. “So actually it saved me and I feel like it just helped prolong my career a little bit longer. And I’m truly happy about that.”
Raheem Mostert can name all the teams that cut him
That's not to say he doesn't carry a chip. When challenged to name all the teams, in order, that cut him, Mostert did not flinch.
“Yeah, I could do that,” he said. “Philly. Dolphins. Baltimore. Cleveland. Following year, Cleveland. Jets. Chicago. Niners. And now I’m here.”
That’s a road you wouldn’t expect for a player who ranks third in average yards per carry in the Super Bowl era (minimum 250 attempts). Seattle’s Rashaad Penny leads at 5.67, followed by the Raiders’ Bo Jackson (5.40) and Mostert (5.39).
McDaniel pointed out that Mostert’s mph was clocked in the 23s when he was 29.
“To look at him through the same lens as every other back I think would be a mistake,” McDaniel said. “Just watching the nuances of his game, he’s developed confidence, conviction, his vision is better, he’s more decisive.”
Mostert is 5-feet-10 and 205, but, McDaniel added, “Pound for pound he might be one of, if not the strongest person on the team. He’s just unique in that way.”
When offensive coordinator Frank Smith calls Mostert a consummate pro, it’s a testament to lessons learned as an undrafted rookie starting in 2015 — a season that included one game played for the Dolphins eight years ago Wednesday. He had zero carries then but returned two kickoffs for a 28.5 average. Miami cut him 23 days later.
“All is forgiven,” Mostert said.
Darren Sproles, wife inspire Mostert to beat the odds
It was in his prior stop, Philadelphia, that he picked up advice from an Eagles veteran, Darren Sproles, that sticks with him.
“He’s like, ‘Hey, look, a lot of people are going to say a lot of different things about you: that you can’t play, too small, you don’t have a big enough heart, you don’t have a lion’s instinct, but you’ve got to be you, got to be true to yourself,’ ” Mostert said.
The message was reinforced a year later, but not from an NFL coach or teammate. It was from the woman he was going to marry. First came the phone call to his future father-in-law, informing him he was out of a job. They agreed it made no sense to spoil the shower. The news could wait for a more appropriate time.
Then?
“I asked my wife on our couch, ‘What should I do?’ because I just got cut by several different teams prior to it," Mostert said. "And she asked me how much do I truly love football. I told her, ‘I mean, I’ve played this sport since I was 7.’ She was like, ‘Well, I don’t see what’s stopping you now.’
“That was a pivotal moment for me.”
If she hadn’t said that?
“Who knows?” he said.
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NFL circles being what they are, it’s only natural that Mostert runs into coaches and execs who have released him over the years. Mostert won’t name names — “That’s a little petty,” he said — but their message is consistent.
“I’ve had several people in personnel departments and other teams come up to me if I was playing them now and truly apologize and really, they really feel like they made a mistake. All is forgiven, truthfully, but you still have that dog mentality, like, ‘Hey, you thought I wasn’t good enough? Well, I gotta run for 200 on you today.’ ”
Mostert didn’t pull the 200 figure out of the air. In the NFC Championship Game against Green Bay following the 2019 season, he rushed for 220 yards and four touchdowns to send the 49ers to the Super Bowl in Miami, where they lost to Kansas City.
Two years later, Mostert and the Dolphins were in touch again, only this time, Miami was courting him as an unrestricted free agent. Mostert went on to lead the Dolphins with 891 rushing yards last season. He added 202 receiving yards and scored five touchdowns.
All because of a low point in his career that his wife used to help lift him back up.
“At that moment, any thought of me quitting or giving up was just null and void,” he said. “It was just more, ‘So I need to go out here and I need to do what I need to do. And if I want to be great, I’m going to go out there and chase my dreams.' ”
Dolphins reporter Hal Habib can be reached at hhabib@pbpost.com. Follow him on social media @gunnerhal.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Miami Dolphins RB Raheem Mostert beats odds. You can't imagine what it took.
