Gase: Dolphins RB Jay Ajayi has 'kind of separated himself' in RB competition

Coach Adam Gase said Thursday that second-year tailback Jay Ajayi is the clubhouse leader when it comes to the vacant starting spot.

Speaking on WQAM (560-AM), Gase said Ajayi -- a former Boise State standout whom the Dolphins selected in the fifth-round of the 2015 NFL draft -- has put some distance between himself and Damien Williams, Daniel Thomas, Isaiah Pead, Jahwan Edwards, and Kenyan Drake, the 2016 third-round pick, who hasn't practiced with the team yet.

"He's been one of those guys he's been here every day. He's done everything right. You can tell he's looking to improve. He doesn't say much, just keeps working," Gase said. "The rest of that group has done a good job to try and keep up with him, but obviously he's kind of separated himself from that group as far as the consistency of what he does day in and day out."

The team tried but failed to sign C.J. Anderson this offseason, so they aren’t completely sold on Ajayi. Howver, these comments suggest that he’ll be the primary running back in Miami provided the team doesn’t sign Arian Foster once his Achilles is healthy. In an article examining Gase's impact on the Miami offense, our very own T.J. Hernandez concluded that "the most likely outcome seems to be that Ajayi flirts with a 60 percent backfield touch share, which would have ranked in the top 10 of all backs in 2015."