Stanley Cup is ‘amazing,' but Miami Dolphins' Raheem Mostert eyes different trophy | Habib

MIAMI GARDENS — A season, at last, ended with a Miami Dolphin holding a trophy. At least one Dolphin experienced that this year, and never mind that nagging thing hanging over this team’s head about a 24-year drought.

Running back Raheem Mostert , fresh off getting iced out of the NFL playoffs in Kansas City, was delighted to get drenched riding down A1A along Fort Lauderdale Beach a few weeks ago as he helped the Florida Panthers cap their Stanley Cup-winning season with a championship parade .

“I held the Stanley Cup,” Mostert said Tuesday as the Dolphins reported for training camp. “And it was an amazing feeling.”

The next word out of Mostert’s mouth said everything you would have expected: “But.”

But what?

“I also want to hold up the Lombardi Trophy,” he said.

Mostert isn’t just a Floridian by profession. He grew up in this state, in New Smyrna Beach, so not only does he know the rugged climb the Panthers endured to reach the mountaintop, he also has had a ringside seat to the Dolphins’ 24-year streak without a playoff win. If you’re already tired of hearing about the number 24, we’ve got bad news: Coach Mike McDaniel is using it as a rallying cry. If his players don’t want to hear it anymore, there’s only one way to stop it.

“I think it’s a great message that he’s portraying to the team and letting us know that, ‘Hey, look, it’s definitely a thing.’ And we’re just trying to figure out how to win that one playoff game.”

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Mostert naturally isn’t the only one with that fire burning inside. But among the Dolphins, he probably ranks as the Panthers’ No. 1 fan. He has been there to bang the drum before the puck drops. He was there in a custom Panthers jersey with his name on it. He’s buddies with defenseman Brandon Montour and refers to Panthers owner Vinnie Viola as “Vinnie.” So if any Dolphin was going to be invited on the bandwagon for the parade, it had to be Mostert.

“Raining like crazy,” he said. “It was a lot of fun, though. You know, that’s a memory you can’t take back.”

Mostert did his part to push the Dolphins over the top last year, turning in a career season with 1,012 yards and 18 rushing touchdowns. The calendar says Mostert is 32 now, but that comes with an asterisk. He has a ridiculously low total of 674 career carries, which equates, in Derrick Henry years, to the first 3 1/2 seasons of Henry’s Hall of Fame career.

Raheem Mostert hopes to be bigger receiving threat in 2024

If Mostert shows signs of slowing down this year, it would be a first.

“I just want to evolve as a player,” he said. “And that’s been my goal each and every year — try to work on some facet of my game.”

Mostert then dropped a hint of what might be in the mix for 2024. He recently sat down with offensive coordinator Frank Smith to see what he could add to his game. Mostert pointed to his 25 receptions for 175 yards last season. He told Smith there’s more he could offer this team if given the chance as a receiving threat.

“He said, ‘Yeah, let’s do it,’ ” Mostert said.

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It’s July. If ever there’s a time for letting the imagination run wild in the NFL, now’s it. Every defensive coordinator’s biggest fear will be Miami’s passing attack, giving this running back corps an extra advantage it doesn’t need. We all know what Mostert can do. We all saw what a healthy De’Von Achane brings. If his tantalizing potential had everyone on edge a year ago at this time, the same mechanics are in motion for Jaylen Wright, the fourth-round pick with the kind of speed that earns him an automatic spot on this corp’s 4x100 relay team.

Maybe it’s enough to push this team deeper into January. Maybe it’s enough to make other AFC playoff qualifiers come here, rather than the Dolphins trekking to frigid Buffalo or Kansas City. Winning one playoff game is the goal, but not the only one. As receiver Tyreek Hill was saying Tuesday, that first postseason win will only increase the desire for the biggest postseason win.

So the next time Mostert celebrates, he hopes it’s in February, not June, with a different trophy.

Consider his brush with the Stanley Cup a tantalizing appetizer.

“It just gives you an extra boost as a player, as a professional athlete down here in South Florida, to try to get your own championship,” Mostert said.

Dolphins reporter Hal Habib can be reached at hhabib@pbpost.com . Follow him on social media @gunnerhal. Click here to subscribe.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Stanley Cup is ‘amazing,' but Miami Dolphins' Raheem Mostert eyes different trophy | Habib