Ronnie Brown Placed On Injured Reserve

We will miss Ronnie, if this rumor is true, but right now we need to get excited to see the greatest Dolphins running back of all time take center stage once again. That's right. I said it.

That is what ESPN is reporting via NFL insider, Adam Schefter.

This is still only at the rumor stage, but with the injury moving from ankle to foot the likelihood of the injury being serious increased enough to warrant taking this rumor seriously.

Ricky Williams will now become the feature back and carry a workload that he hasn't seen the likes of in six years. Williams leads the Dolphins backfield with yards from scrimmage and has been averaging 5.3 yards per carry this season, which is the highest rating of that metric for his career.

Backing up Williams will be the 5'11" and 240 lbs Lex Hilliard, who was impressive in preseason action and on special teams this year. Hilliard, a second-year player taken by Miami in the seventh round of the 2008 NFL Draft, has shown impressive speed and agility despite his punishing downhill style. He also catches the ball very well out of the backfield, and could provide decent blocking for Chad Henne as well.

Also in the mix will be rookie running back Kory Sheets. A undrafted free agent signed by the San Francisco 49rs, Sheets was impressive in his four years at Purdue and had a solid combine where he recorded a 4.47 average on his 40-yard-dash.

Sheets is a versatile back, who can catch and run with equal authority and may provide some depth in the wildcat formation. At 5'11" and 208 lbs he will most likely be asked to fill a role similar to that of the injured Patrick Cobbs (ACL).

It will be exciting to see if Williams can do with twenty carries what he does with eight carries, meaning dominate. Additionally it will be interesting to see if Hilliard can emerge as a viable second punch in the Phins dual backfield. Ball control has been an issue for Hilliard in the past, fumbling twice in 42 carries during the preseason.