Eric Studesville

Eric Studesville enters his third season with the Miami Dolphins coaching running backs.

Studesville has 23 years of NFL coaching experience, including 19 at the running backs position. He has been on the coaching staffs of two conference championship teams (2013 and 2015) and won Super Bowl 50 with the Denver Broncos.

Studesville has helped his players earn three Pro Bowl selections – Marshawn Lynch (2008), Willis McGahee (2011) and C.J. Anderson (2014). He's also been the position coach for 10 1,000-yard rushing campaigns with McGahee (3), Tiki Barber (2), Lynch (2), Knowshon Moreno (1), Fred Jackson (1) and Anderson (1). In total, his running backs have registered 61 individual 100-yard performances – a total that includes 24 by McGahee and 12 by Barber.

Studesville mentored a young position group in 2019. He helped undrafted rookie free agent Patrick Laird become one of the top receivers out of the backfield in the 2019 rookie class. Laird began taking snaps in Miami's offense in the second half of the season and totaled 23 receptions for 204 yards (8.9 avg.) in the final eight games of the year. His 204 receiving yards were second-most by a rookie running back in the NFL that year while the mark was tied for 12th among all NFL running backs over the final eight weeks of the season.

In Studesville's first season in Miami in 2018, he drastically improved the team's running game. Studesville took the Dolphins from 24th in the NFL averaging 3.86 yards per carry in 2017 to ninth in the statistic, averaging 4.68 yards per carry in 2018. Kenyan Drake topped 1,000 scrimmage yards (1,012) for the first time in his career and tied a team record for most receiving touchdowns by a running back (5). Frank Gore led Miami with 722 rushing yards. His 4.63 yards per carry average was the highest in NFL history by a running back at least 35 years of age. Studesville also tutored Kalen Ballage, who became the first Dolphins rookie to rush for 100-plus yards in a game since 2011 when he had 12 carries for 123 yards (10.3 avg.) and one touchdown in Week 15 at Minnesota.

Prior to his time in Miami, Studesville spent eight seasons (2010-17) as Denver's running backs coach. He was promoted to assistant head coach in 2017. That season, he helped Anderson reach 1,000 rushing yards for the first time in his career. As a team, the Broncos were 12th in the NFL in rushing, averaging 115.8 yards per game. His running backs were also active in the passing game as three of the team's top six reception leaders were players he coached, including Devontae Booker (30 receptions), Anderson (28 receptions) and Jamaal Charles (23 receptions).

In 2016, Studesville's unit lost its starting running back (Anderson) and fullback (Andy Janovich) to injured reserve but helped Booker, a fourth-round pick, lead the team in rushing with 612 yards. His total was fourth among NFL rookies that season and he was second among rookie running backs with 31 receptions for 265 yards (8.5 avg.) and one touchdown. Studesville was part of the Broncos' Super Bowl 50 victory at the end of the 2015 season. The team averaged nearly 50 rushing yards per game more during the final seven weeks of the season than the first 10, ranking seventh in the league with 135.1 rushing yards in those final seven games. Ronnie Hillman (4) and Anderson (2) combined for six 100-yard performances that season. Anderson led the NFL in rushing attempts (54) and rushing yards (234) during the postseason.

In 2014, Studesville helped Anderson earn a Pro Bowl selection despite not making his first career start until Week 11. Anderson led the NFL with 709 yards from scrimmage (472 rushing and 237 receiving) during the month of November and tied for the league lead with seven rushing touchdowns in the month of December. He became just the fifth undrafted running back in NFL history to earn a Pro Bowl selection. The 2013 Broncos were the best offense in NFL history, setting the league's scoring record with 606 points. Studesville worked under future Dolphins Head Coach Adam Gase, who was the Broncos' offensive coordinator at the time, and helped Moreno become the first player in Broncos history to post 1,000 yards rushing (1,038) and 500 yards receiving (548). Denver won the AFC Championship and participated in Super Bowl XLVIII.

In 2012, Studesville helped the Broncos finish 13-3 and win the AFC West. The team won 11 straight games to finish the regular season and earned a first-round bye in the playoffs. His running backs unit was ravaged by injuries but still helped the Broncos finish fourth in offense. McGahee rushed for 731 yards and four touchdowns despite playing just 10 games. Studesville's group in 2011 helped the Broncos lead the NFL in rushing, setting a team record with 164.5 rushing yards per game. McGahee tied for the NFL lead with seven 100-yard rushing games and totaled 1,199 rushing yards on the season.

The 2010 season was Studesville's first in Denver and he helped Moreno become the fifth player in team history to record 1,000 yards from scrimmage in each of his first two NFL seasons. He was named the team's interim head coach on Dec. 6, 2010 and served in that capacity for the final four games of the season, becoming the first African-American head coach in Broncos history. He earned his first win as an NFL head coach on Dec. 26, 2010 vs. Houston.

From 2004-09, Studesville was the running backs coach for the Buffalo Bills. He added running game coordinator responsibilities in 2008. He coached a 1,000-yard rusher in five of his six seasons in Buffalo, including three straight years to end his tenure there.

In 2008, Studesville helped Lynch become the first Bills running back in five years to earn a Pro Bowl nomination after his second consecutive 1,000-yard season (1,036). Fred Jackson rushed for 500 yards and the pairing combined for 84 receptions, a mark that led the league among rushing tandems.

McGahee (2004-05) and Lynch (2007-08) rushed for 1,000 yards in each of their first two NFL seasons under Studesville. McGahee's 2,375 yards broke a team record for the most rushing yards in a player's first two years. McGahee was the fourth rookie in team history to reach 1,000 rushing yards (1,128) and tied a franchise rookie record with 13 rushing touchdowns. He began his career with at least 100 yards in his first three starts, becoming only the third NFL player to do so since 1970.

Prior to Buffalo, Studesville was the running backs coach for the New York Giants and helped Tiki Barber rush for 1,000 yards in back-to-back seasons. Barber was seventh in the NFL in yards per rush (3.6), ninth in rushing yards (3,468) and led all NFC running backs with 210 receptions during that three-year span. His 5,103 scrimmage yards were fifth in the NFL.

Studesville's first NFL stop was the Chicago Bears, where he was an NFL minority coaching fellowship during training camp in 1996. He spent four seasons (1997-2000) with the Bears as offensive quality control.

Prior to his NFL coaching career, Studesville was a defensive assistant in the collegiate ranks. He was a secondary coach at Kent State (1995-96) and Wingate (1994). Studesville also spent time as a video assistant at North Carolina (1992-93) and a graduate assistant at Arizona (1991).

Studesville was a defensive back at Wisconsin-Whitewater and graduated with a bachelor's degree in physical education. He earned his master's degree in exercise physiology at Arizona. He and his wife, Staci, have one daughter, Sydni, and a son, Eric Jr.