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Dolphins offensive coordinator Clyde Christensen suggested Thursday that Ajayi's chronic right knee soreness may be hindering his development as a receiver out of the backfield, Roy Cummings of FloridaFootballInsiders.com reports. "it is kind of an issue [because Ajayi] doesn't practice every single day," Christensen said. "So he probably needs the extra reps in the passing game, but when you get him out there you want to get your runs called. I mean, he's still a million miles ahead of [where he was as a pass catcher] a year and a half ago, but he's not where we want him to be."
Ajayi was held out of practice Thursday to receive treatment on the knee, which is something that's been a regular occurrence through the first half of the season. While the Dolphins have been adamant that Ajayi isn't injured, the recurring soreness in his surgically repaired knee -- which played a major part in him slipping to the fifth round in the 2015 NFL Draft -- seems to have gotten in the way of him becoming a true three-down workhorse. It hasn't helped matters that the Dolphins were forced to break in a new quarterback (Jay Cutler) in August when Ryan Tannehill (knee) required season-ending surgery, with Ajayi's tendency to sit out at least one day of practice per week limiting his opportunities to develop a rapport with the new signal caller. On a more positive note, Ajayi's knee doesn't seem to be impacting his effectiveness in the ground game, as he ranks seventh in the NFL with 391 rushing yards while handling a healthy 20.4 carries per game, which has continued to make him a must-start option every week despite his meager production (seven catches for 23 yards) as a pass catcher.
