De’Von Achane increased his rushing yardage in season two with the Miami Dolphins. He’s shown his explosive nature under Mike McDaniel and his zone running attack. But Achane is yet to scale past 1,000 rushing yards.
He’s now entering a pivotal season three in South Beach. Miami already trusts him to handle lots of touches. The running back, though, sent a confident warning to NFL teams aiming to game plan against him.
“I always want to try to hit 1,000 yards and then 500 yards (receiving),” Achane said this week, via the NFL Network.
Achane has expanded his versatility on the Dolphins. McDaniel trusts him to haul catches too as the check down option for Tua Tagovailoa. But the RB is his own worst critic after watching himself on film.
“I felt like I left a lot of plays or I felt like I could have did more,” Achane said. “Going back and watching the year and the cut ups, I feel like I left a lot of yards on the table.”
De’Von Achane emerging as clear-cut leader for Dolphins attack
Miami Dolphins running back De’Von Achane (28) runs the ball as Cleveland Browns cornerback Cameron Mitchell (29) tackles him during the first quarter at Huntington Bank Field. Scott Galvin-Imagn Images
Achane first arrived to South Beach learning from Raheem Mostert. The latter earned RB1 duties while Achane absorbed knowledge from him.
Mostert has since moved on to the Las Vegas Raiders. The incoming third-year back is now the clear-cut RB1 for Miami. McDaniel himself saw no reason to decrease Achane’s load back in September.
The Dolphins will hope he stays healthy. Achane sustained a concussion in October, preventing him from playing a full 17-game season. He managed to start in the other 16 games.
The former Texas A&M RB elevated his rushing yardage to 907 — more than the 800 he hit as a 2023 rookie. However, he watched his average yards per carry dip to 4.5. He hit an astonishing 7.8 yards a carry in ’23.
Achane still tallied 1,499 total yards of offense. He’s already envisioning higher numbers as season three approaches.
