Miami Dolphins have finally found their featured running back in De'Von Achane
The Miami Dolphins have been looking for a true featured running back for years. It appears they might finally have one in rookie De'Von Achane. Achane turned in a second straight electric performance for Miami. The third-round rookie, who earned AFC Offensive Player of the Week honors last week, managed to turn just 8 carries […]
The Miami Dolphins have been looking for a true featured running back for years. It appears they might finally have one in rookie De'Von Achane.
Achane turned in a second straight electric performance for Miami. The third-round rookie, who earned AFC Offensive Player of the Week honors last week, managed to turn just 8 carries into 101 yards and two touchdowns while also adding 19 receiving yards on 3 catches. His 55-yard burst was Miami's longest play of the day.
It's not just out of the backfield where Achane has been effective. He's lined up wide and been used in motion, which the Dolphins utilized for a score on Sunday.
Right now, Achane is running with speed to the hole, making the right reads, and also running through tackles with power. He's exhibiting three of the most important aspects that a running back can possess.
As a result, he's currently the leading the AFC in rushing with 309 yards on a ridiculously low 27 attempts for an average of 11.4 yards per carry. The next lowest rushing attempts on the top 10 NFL rushing list is Isaiah Pacheco with 55 (270 yards). While 11.4 yards per carry obviously isn't sustainable long-term, it still speaks to the explosive ability of the rookie back.
Mike McDaniel is going to rotate his running backs. That's simply his philosophy. And Raheem Mostert is a very good and capable runner, as we've seen early this season. Mostert sits at seventh in the AFC with 249 yards on 48 carries, which results in a very good mark at over 5 yards per carry. He's stood out in two of the Dolphins four games so far.
But Achane has simply looked like the better runner. And he's playing too well not to give him more touches. Achane simply has to lead this backfield rotation moving forward, allowing him at least 15-20 total touches per game.
If he can, then he's poised to accomplish two rare feats for the Dolphins: winning the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year award – which Miami hasn't had happen since RB Troy Stradford in 1987 – and becoming the first Miami running back to eclipse the 1000-yard rushing mark since 2016.
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