The Miami Dolphins deployed their ball carriers in an interesting manner during their Week 1 preseason loss to the Chicago Bears. Former Los Angeles Rams running back Malcolm Brown got the start with the first-team offense and received the bulk of the work, but failed to take advantage of the opportunity by gaining just eight yards on nine carries. Brown also recorded a single reception, which went for a seven-yard gain.

Myles Gaskin, who led the team in rushing with 584 yards last season, was next up and looked more lively than Brown did. He turned his four carries into 19 yards, including a long of 14. Salvon Ahmed entered the picture next and had the best day of any Dolphins back in the mix here. Ahmed gained 40 yards on six rushing attempts and added another 31 yards through the air, including a 23-yard touchdown pass from Dolphins backup quarterback Jacoby Brissett.

If this situation sounds like one that lacks clarity, it’s because it does. After the game, Dolphins head coach Brian Flores was quoted as saying, “We like all three guys. They all do good things. I think we saw that today. We’ll keep working with all three guys.”

Brown has the most experience of the bunch, but is new to the team and failed to stick out on Saturday. Gaskin flashed at times last year, but struggled to stay healthy down the stretch. Ahmed didn’t touch the ball last season until Week 9, but strung together a few impressive performances late in the year, including a 125-yard effort against the Patriots in Week 15.

Should we read anything into this situation? It’s far too early to offer up any definitive answers, but it’ll be worth monitoring how the Dolphins approach this committee in their Week 2 date with an Atlanta Falcons defense that gave up 138 yards on the ground to the Tennessee Titans in Week 1, including 58 yards to Mekhi Sargent, an undrafted free agent out of Iowa. It’s a matchup that should favor the Dolphins and their three-headed rushing attack on paper. Can one of these backs start to separate himself from the rest of the pack?

We are less than a month away from Miami’s Week 1 matchup against the New England Patriots. With fantasy football season also upon us, we will all be paying close attention to this muddied situation.