With De’Von Achane Out, What Do the Dolphins Do Now?
The season has not been kind to the Miami Dolphins so far. After three games, the team sits at 0-3, and while they have shown some positives, like the team playing hard despite losing big losses, that doesn’t look like it is going to translate into many wins. This week, they played the Kansas City Chiefs tough but ultimately lost by two scores, 24-10.
They suffered an even more brutal loss when star running back De’Von Achane left the game with a knee injury. It was a fluke injury that could happen to anyone, and didn’t look too devastating at first glance. However, this morning ESPN’s Adam Schefter announced that Achane had a torn ACL and will miss the remainder of the season.
From a Dolphins fan perspective, the only real silver lining is that it happened now, not later in the season. Like ripping a band-aid off, if he was going to get hurt, it might as well have been in the first quarter of the season. This will allow him plenty of time to heal up for next season.
So what can Miami do now? Well, first they will turn to Ollie Gordon II, who is entering his second season. He was once the best running back in college football, winning the Doak Walker Award in 2023. He has been disappointing in his short time with Miami. He has 90 career carries for 247 yards and four touchdowns. That’s a good 2.7-yard-per-attempt average. Not what you want to see out of a potential bell-cow back. Against the Chiefs, he had 17 carries for 41 yards and a touchdown.
If the Dolphins are looking to replace the speed they are losing with Achane, they already have a good replacement on the roster. Jaylen Wright is in his third season with the Dolphins and has 141 rushing attempts for 547 yards and two touchdowns in his career. He averaged 4.1 yards per carry last season, and I believe he could emerge as a solid option for Miami moving forward.
The Dolphins have former Auburn standout Jarquez Hunter on their practice squad, and he will undoubtedly be elevated to the active roster. He went 1,201 yards and scored eight touchdowns in 2024 before the Los Angeles Rams drafted him in the fourth round last season.
He mostly played on special teams last season for the Rams and came to Miami via the Tutu Atwell trade at the end of August.
The remaining free agents at running back leave much to be desired. This morning I would have said that the best remaining free agent was veteran Austin Ekeler, who is coming off a torn Achilles last season. However, Washington picked him up earlier today.
That leaves perhaps Antonia Gibson as the best remaining option. There is also a chance of a reunion with Raheem Mostert, who played last season for the Las Vegas Raiders. Mostert is two years removed from setting a Miami Dolphins record with 21 touchdowns in a season.
Who do you think Miami should pursue to replace Achane? Let me know in the comments.
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