Dolphins sign RB Coleman Bennett, bringing him home to South Florida

Adam Schefter broke the news Wednesday morning: the Dolphins are signing running back Coleman Bennett to a one-year deal, and it doubles as a homecoming. Bennett spent his preseason with the Chicago Bears, but South Florida is where he actually grew up, and now he gets to try to make an NFL roster in his own backyard.

Bennett's path here has been a whirlwind. He went undrafted out of Kennesaw State this spring after a breakout final college season that produced more than 1,000 combined scrimmage yards, including 764 rushing yards and 4 touchdowns on the ground. Chicago signed him to a 3-year, $3.12 million UDFA deal in May, one that came with $145,000 in guarantees, a strong show of confidence for a rookie free agent.

He made his NFL debut in the Bears' preseason opener, a 34-10 win over Cleveland, popping in for 10 yards on 4 carries and scoring a 3-yard touchdown. It wasn't a huge sample size, and at 5-foot-11, 185 pounds, Bennett's slight frame reportedly had Chicago's staff wary about his pass protection, a dealbreaker for a lot of roster bubble backs. The Bears waived him days later as they trimmed toward final numbers.

That's when the recruiting circuit kicked in. Bennett got a look from the Titans before Miami swooped in with the offer that actually made sense for everybody: a team that needs depth at running back, in the city where he's from. Schefter's follow-up post nailed down the same details, just cleaning up the grammar on the first one.

For the Dolphins, this is a low-cost, low-risk flier at a position that's had its share of instability. For Bennett, it's a shot to make an NFL roster while sleeping in his own hometown. One-year deals for undrafted guys who just got cut rarely come with guaranteed money attached, so the real fight starts now, in Miami's backfield room, trying to earn a practice-squad spot or better before the season kicks off.