The Miami Dolphins made plenty of moves this offseason, and many of them resulted with the team parting ways with several prior franchise foundations. Between Tyreek Hill, Tua Tagovailoa, Jaylen Waddle, Minkah Fitzpatrick, and others, the Dolphins parted ways with some longtime contributors for a number of reasons as the new front office firmly pressed the hard reset button on the franchise.

One player that new general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan and head coach Jeff Hafley did not hit the eject button on is running back De’Von Achane. Instead, the talented and versatile speedster was given a deserved contract extension, inking a new four-year deal with up to $68 million.

It was another example of a notable running back getting paid, something that’s slowly but surely starting to happen a bit more.

And that wasn’t lost on his teammate, Jaylen Wright. Wright joined WNML in Knoxville, Tennessee on Thursday, and he discussed Achane’s new extension and what it means for him and every other running back in the league.

Jaylen Wright appreciates the new deal that De’Von Achane got from the Dolphins

“For sure, I definitely appreciate those guys like De’Von, guys like Breece Hall, Saquon (Barkley), those guys boosting the market for the people that’s after them.

“De’Von definitely deserves it. He’s a hell of a player. I watch him day in and day out. How he takes on his reps, how he’s so detailed in everything he does. Just learn from him. Again, he deserves everything he got. I appreciate him, because when my time comes, that market is going to be boosted up for me.”

After a period of time where running backs were struggling to get good pay days, Barkley, Hall, and Achane have helped start to pull the market a bit back in the other direction over the last 15 months. Hall has an AAV (average annual value) of $14.5 on his new deal, with Achane at $16 million and Barkley at $20.6 million. All three men now sit in the top five of the position in AAV.

As for Wright, entering year three in Miami, the hope is that a new coaching staff and system will help unlock the significant potential that he flashed at Tennessee. Wright has yet to make much of a dent in the NFL, with 537 rushing yards and two rushing scores in 25 games over two years.

But if and when that every happens, be it in Miami or elsewhere, there could be a more favorable market waiting for him, thanks in part to his backfield mate.