2024 was a different type of season for the Miami Dolphins’ offense, and not in a good way.
With Tua Tagovailoa missing 6 games with concussion and hip issues, the passing attack struggled far too often. That was especially the case with Miami’s deep passing attack, which was bottled up all season with opponents employing defenses to keep Tyreek Hill from beating them deep.
That resulted in a lot of shorter plays and longer drives, and one of those beneficiaries was RB De’Von Achane. The second year running back became the first player in franchise history to total at least 6 rushing and 6 receiving scores for a season.
2024 was a big step forward for Achane in responsibility despite a sizeable return to earth in statistical production. Achane had just 103 carries in 2023 (which he still turned into an impressive 800 rushing yards), largely due to the productive season of the veteran Raheem Mostert, who totaled 1012 rushing yards and an NFL best 18 rushing touchdowns.
Mostert faded quickly from Mike McDaniel’s plans in 2024 in favor of a more featured role for Achane, who finished 2024 with 203 carries for 907 yards.
However, the big difference in 2024? The gigantic change? Achane’s usage in the passing game.
With the Dolphins’ offensive line struggling mightily all season in the run game and the Dolphins unable to unleash their deep passing game, short, designed passes and dump offs became a staple of McDaniel’s offense, and Achane was the big beneficiary of that statistically. Achane’s catch total went from 27 in 2023 to a whopping 78 in 2024, with 592 receiving yards and 6 scores to go with it.
Miami will surely spend the offseason looking to find ways to get better at running the ball as well as unlocking their passing attack beyond the first 5-10 yards from the line of scrimmage. However, it’s nice to know that they still have a very productive and versatile weapon to fall back on if they need to.
