De’Von Achane is electric with the ball in his hands but it’s time we had a conversation about his usage in the Dolphins’ passing game
The Miami Dolphins are waking up this morning with an all-too-familiar taste in their mouth. They’re 2-7; having surpasses the loss total of their 2023 team before Halloween. The Dolphins’ latest defeat, a 28-6 outcome at the hands of the Baltimore Ravens, was the team’s second game in their last three in which they failed […]
The Miami Dolphins are waking up this morning with an all-too-familiar taste in their mouth. They’re 2-7; having surpasses the loss total of their 2023 team before Halloween. The Dolphins’ latest defeat, a 28-6 outcome at the hands of the Baltimore Ravens, was the team’s second game in their last three in which they failed to score an offensive touchdown.
One of the few bright spots, not just of the game but of the season, remains third-year running back De’Von Achane. Achane has been a yardage monster this season and has been a root of many of Miami’s most explosive plays on the ground in 2025. But it’s probably about time we have a conversation about Achane as a pass catcher, after two more incidents of poor outcomes down the field on Thursday night against Baltimore.
Dolphins running back De’Von Achane ranks among the NFL’s worst in Expected Points Added per target in 2025
Achane’s usage as a receiver and offensive weapon needs to be reassessed. Many of his reception opportunities have come on designed perimeter screens at or behind the line of scrimmage — which is a wise and effective usage of his skills when the Dolphins aren’t spamming those throws as a coverup for their inconsistent run game efforts. That was the case for the back half of 2024 and in spurts in 2025.
You saw Achane at his best as a pass catcher with the effort he had against the New England Patriots in Week 2, he ran multiple choice routes out of the backfield with a lot of grass around him and he promptly capitalized with a number of explosive plays.
As of late, however? Achane’s role and usage has been woefully unproductive on targets that aren’t coming out of the backfield.
Dolphins RB De’Von Achane’s receiving production through Week 9
- 60 targets, 43 receptions
- 274 receiving yards
- 4 receiving touchdowns
- Ranked 53rd out of 55 pass catchers (minimum 40 targets) in EPA/target: -0.32 EPA/target
Amid the absence of Tyreek Hill, Achane has been tabbed to do more work down the field. It hasn’t gone well. Not even a little bit. He caught a leaping 10-yard touchdown reception early in Miami’s 27-24 loss to Carolina in Week 5 but since that moment, Achane has caught just five of 12 targets in the passing game on routes that have gone further that a measly two yards down the field. In total, here’s numbers on Achane targets after the touchdown against Carolina in Week 5:
5 receptions on 12 targets (41.7% completion rate), 29 receiving yards, 2 interceptions (one returned for a touchdown), a 9.72 passer rating (not a typo!) on targets
This includes a 4th & 2 fade in the red zone against Kyle Hamilton that never stood a chance, plus a wheel route up the left sideline that Achane couldn’t control going to the ground on Thursday night against Baltimore. Two weeks prior against Cleveland? An errant throw deflects off his hands, intercepted, and is returned for a touchdown to open the second half. The week before that? A dig or post route against the Chargers in which the timing of the route and the throw wasn’t aligned for another interception.
His overall usage in the passing game highlights some significant warts in the offense as well. Among all NFL pass catchers this season with at least 40 targets, Achane (60, which leads the team) has the NFL’s third-lowest Expected Point Added/target among 55 qualifying NFL receivers (-0.32 EPA/target). The fourth worst receiver, Jacksonville’s Brian Thomas Jr., has an EPA/target that is less than half as low (-0.15). Among the two players with a lower ranking than Achane? His Dolphins’ teammate Malik Washington.
That presence of both Achane and Washington amplified the “schemed throw” issues and limitations of the offense. But Achane’s EPA per target is actually twice as bad on the targets that travel at least two yards downfield! He’s posted an EPA/target of -0.64 on his 21 targets that travel at least two yards past the line of scrimmage.
And so you’ve got a player who is, in part, filling a role for another player in Tyreek Hill at times. It’s gone even worse than the scheme-specific role he’s been filling as is. Achane obviously has value as a pass catcher — but this team’s efforts to have him fill in the blanks of vacant pieces of the offense is fueling some of the least efficient targets in the league at the midway point.
If you can point to a fix, let me know. I’d love to see it.
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