Dolphins De’Von Achane will impact strategy when he returns
More Teams. More Games.
Stephania Bell explains her optimism for De’Von Achane returning from injury this week for the Dolphins. (1:21)
MIAMI — On their first offensive snap of their Oct. 8 game against the New York Giants, the Miami Dolphins trotted out four of the fastest players in the league in a formation they call “Fast 21.”
Wide receiver Tyreek Hill lined up at his usual position while fellow receiver Jaylen Waddle stood next to quarterback Tua Tagovailoa in the backfield. Running backs Raheem Mostert and De’Von Achane lined up out wide. After the snap, Tagovailoa faked the handoff to Waddle, rotated and tossed the ball backwards to a sweeping Achane.
The star rookie had just run for 304 yards and six total touchdowns in his previous two games, good enough to earn him the first touch of the game against the Giants. Achane handled the toss from Tagovailoa, found the edge and sprinted for 24 yards.
The Dolphins scored on that drive and went on to win, 31-16. Achane finished with 151 rushing yards and a touchdown, setting the tone with that first carry of the game. His usage was also an example of the various personnel groupings Miami is capable of employing.
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“I think the way they’re playing football and have really taken to various assignments, being able to multi-train and get some receiver responsibilities from running backs and some running back responsibilities for the receivers,” Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel said. “Because of their football acumen, it does present a problem.
“I think it’s a testament to all those guys’ commitment to the whole offense, because we’re able to run various different types of schemes, runs, passes, drop-backs, play-actions and all sorts of things out of that, because they like being out on the field together.”
Achane hasn’t played since that Giants game. He’s spent the past five weeks on injured reserve but returned to practice Monday. With his 21-day activation window officially opened, the Dolphins hope to have him back on the field Sunday when they host the Las Vegas Raiders (1 p.m., E.T., CBS).
Miami owned the NFL’s top-ranked rushing offense with Achane, averaging 185.8 yards per game on the ground. In the four games he’s missed, that figure has dropped to 100.5 yards per game — 20th-most in the league in that span.
Running back Raheem Mostert has rushed for 291 yards and five touchdowns over the past four games, but the Dolphins have struggled to find a complementary rusher in Achane’s absence.
McDaniel didn’t commit to Achane playing against the Raiders, but he did admit that his return would change the way he calls the game.
“Things adjust with every player you have. You know their strengths and weaknesses,” he said. “I think it would be dishonest to be like, ‘nothing changes’ … I think each individual player has different things they bring to the table. And yeah, it does affect how the game is called.”
The 2023 third-round pick still ranks second among all rookies in rushing yards this season with 460 yards on 38 attempts — good for a league-best 12.1 yards per carry.
McDaniel said the knee injury that’s kept Achane out since Week 5 was “more of a sprain-type injury” than an outright tear — one that, in some situations, a player could play through with the aid of a knee brace.
The Dolphins decided to err on the side of caution and allow Achane to fully heal for the stretch run to the end of the regular season. He still traveled with the team, including during its weeklong trip to Germany in Week 9.
If he’s able to return Sunday, Miami will get a calm, confident presence as well as an explosive play threat.
“I think the coolest thing about someone like him being a rookie is just who he is as a person,” Tagovailoa said. “How you see him on the sideline, just chill, relaxed, that’s who he is, and that’s how he is in the huddle. To be able to go in the huddle and see someone like that, it’s very promising to know that, okay, he knows where he’s going to line up, and then basically if he’s getting the ball, you know it’s going to be a big play more often than not.”
Miami has the 19th-toughest remaining schedule, according to ESPN’s Football Power Index, starting with a Raiders defense that allows 135.6 rushing yards per game — fourth-most in the NFL.
McDaniel agreed that Achane has matured midway through his debut season, and as they look to win their first AFC East title since 2008, they’ll need their star rookie.
“He’s come a long way in a short period of time to become — it feels like he’s not a rookie in the locker room, and that’s what the locker room needed from him,” McDaniel said. “We don’t have time for rookies anymore. This is pro ball.”