It was the dinner hour when word began to leak that the Miami Dolphins were having quite a busy day on Thursday.
There was word from league sources that Miami had agreed to terms with running back Daniel Thomas. That followed the news Miami had agreed to terms with running back Isaiah Pead.
And then twitter blew up in an uproar of Dolphins fans.
Understandably so.
Thomas, the Dolphins second round draft pick in 2011, was a bust in Miami before. He averaged all of 3.6 yards per rush in his Dolphins career, had more injuries and fumbles than big plays, and never met the expectations of a team that traded up to get him in that fateful '11 draft.
And Thomas, unimpressive for several years as he never gained the starting job he was drafted to win, was finally cut in 2014. Then re-signed. Then he was cut again. Then he bounced around, including with the Chicago Bears. And cut. And more bouncing. And then signed Thursday.
And the legitimate question is why?
Because it seems the current Dolphins braintrust that wasn't here when Thomas was first here missed the memo. That memo was left by the old Dolphins braintrust. That memo reads, "We got fired by putting guys such as Daniel Thomas on the roster."
(Nothing personal against Thomas. He's a hard worker and a good guy. He's just not good enough in the NFL).
By the way, new general manager Chris Grier has been with the Dolphins 16 years. He was here when Jeff Ireland picked Thomas. He was here when Thomas showed anyone with eyes he is not good enough. So what's Grier's excuse for this?
Pead? Another guy who was a second-round bust.
He was originally drafted by the St. Louis Rams. He played 27 games for the Rams. And carried the football 19 times.
He played 27 games. And carried the football 19 times.
He played 27 games. And in those games got 19 total carries.
He also was suspended one game for violating the NFL's substance abuse policy. And he also suffered an ACL injury that ended his second season.
Last year he was out of the league except for a three-week stretch with Pittsburgh after they lost star running back Le'Veon Bell. The Steelers released Pead on November 27.
And Dolphins fans are going, "Huh?"
This team has a running back problem. I kid you not. You can read about it here. And here. And here.
And part of the short-term answer to that long-term problem is Daniel Thomas and Isaiah Pead?
Look, I don't know enough about Pead because I haven't seen him up close. I haven't seen him practice and play in person. So maybe there is something there there.
But I can tell you there will be a handful of undrafted running backs that are better than Daniel Thomas.
This signing -- nay, this third re-signing -- is not a confidence builder. At. All.
Now, this requires perspective: The Dolphins are whispering to me that these additions are just meant to fill the roster for the upcoming camps and OTAs and possibly training camp. The Dolphins are not actually counting on Daniel Thomas or Isaiah Pead to be the backups to Jay Ajayi.
If either of the duo plays out of his mind, great. But if they are what they have so far been in the NFL careers, nothing lost.
And that is meant to offer solace because the team will continue to beat the bushes of free agency and a possible trade as the search for a running back continues. But I tell you now, if Daniel Thomas is on the 2016 Miami Dolphins, something went awfully wrong in the search for another running back.
Someone failed miserably.
Meanwhile, I wonder what Knowshon Moreno is doing? Reggie Bush, who is still recovering from injury? Hey, as long as we're checking out former Dolphins running backs, I wonder what Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams are doing?
All of them have a chance today to be better than Daniel Thomas.
Yes, I'm exaggerating. But only a little.
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