The first of half the Miami Dolphins’ 2024 season hasn’t gone as planned.
At 2-6, they currently sit at 12th in the AFC with nine games remaining. In a season hampered by quarterback injuries, opponent’s walk-off field goals and defensive collapses, there has been one constant force on offense: De’Von Achane.
“He’s incredible,” All-Pro left tackle Terron Armstead said Tuesday afternoon. “He’s a special talent. He’s probably the most confident guy I’ve ever been around, and that says a lot for somebody that’s so young into his journey and his career. But his confidence, his belief in his ability and his preparation is through the roof, so it’s no surprise to us in this building what he is doing — it’s no surprise to himself.”
After a breakout rookie season, Achane has followed that up with a nearly equally impressive sophomore campaign. His 754 all-purpose yards rank 18th in the NFL while Pro Football Focus has graded him as the sixth-best pass-catching back. His ascension has helped the Dolphins find their offensive identity amid a tumultuous start to the season.
Through eight games, Achane has 93 carries for 420 yards and two touchdowns. He has also added 37 catches for 302 yards and three touchdowns. While his rushing numbers through his first eight games of 2023 (72 carries, 613 yards and seven touchdowns) don’t necessarily compare to his current numbers, he has either matched or exceeded his receiving stats.
“Catching footballs, it really comes natural to me,” Achane said Tuesday. “Growing up, I always played running back, but I played other positions as well as far as playing receiver in the slot. So when it comes to catching the football, it’s like me running the football. That’s how I think of it. It’s something that I do, something I’m great at.”
As a rookie, he had 27 receptions for 197 yards and three touchdowns. Through his first eight games of his sophomore season, Achane has 37 receptions for 302 yards and three touchdowns. His 37 catches not only leads the Dolphins, but his receiving yards are tied for third with Jonnu Smith despite missing most of the Indianapolis Colts game with a concussion. Achane credited his work during the offseason for his growth as a pass-catcher.
“This offseason, when the receivers were going out and throwing with Tua [Tagovailoa], I made sure that I was there as well,” Achane said. The former Texas A&M halfback did so because “the running back can get thrown the ball, too, especially in this offense so it’s something I pride myself in, going out and working with them, learning from them.”
And what exactly did he learn?
“Just the intangibles of being a receiver,” Achane said.
Added Achane: “When defenses play us, they play a lot of two-man so a lot of press. So when I get lined up out there if somebody does try to press me, just the footwork, stuff that they go through and the timing of this offense and just learning like if I’ve got an inside route, how to release or how to get this person to do this.”
The ability to understand the nuances of the receiver position has transformed Achane into one of the Dolphins’ most reliable offensive threats — especially considering he has been available for most of the season after missing six games due to injury as a rookie.
“My body feels great,” Achane said. “I pride myself taking care of myself after all the injuries that I had last year so this year I was pretty big on that. I’m always in the training room just trying to stay fresh because like you said, we’ve got a long season ahead of us. We already had our bye week early so from here on out it’s no breaks, so play every week so I just try to make sure my body is ready for the game day.”
Achane’s availability helped the Dolphins somewhat capture the team’s 2023 success when the team ranked sixth in rushing offense. This was especially true during Tagovailoa’s four game absence as the Dolphins were forced to lean heavily on the run. The result: the Dolphins rushed for at least 150 yards in three straight games before falling one yard short against the Buffalo Bills on Sunday.
“This is the ball that we want to show on Sundays,” Tagovailoa said after the 30-27 loss to the Bills, “but there’s a lot of things we’re going to have to clean up.”
As the Dolphins enter the back half of the season, Achane will certainly be involved if the team wants to have any success down the stretch. Some good defenses will stand in the way – looking at you, San Francisco 49ers and New York Jets – but the Dolphins’ postseason goals are still within reach. That is, if they learn from each loss and win out, something that Achane believes is possible.
“We’re getting better,” Achane said. “Each week, we try to make sure that we’re getting better than we did last week. But I feel like there’s always more. I feel like I always can do more and that’s something that I pride myself on trying to go in and do better than I did last week.”
