Nakobe Dean vs. De’Von Achane
The Miami Dolphins running back provides a healthy challenge for the Silver and Black.
Achane is coming off the best season of his career with 1,350 rushing yards and eight touchdowns. He accounted for 35.8 percent of the Dolphins’ yards last season while also totaling 40 explosive runs (over 10 yards), per Next Gen Stats.
“It’s going to take all 11 when you’re dealing with that kind of speed,” defensive coordinator Rob Leonard said.
Yes, it will certainly more than one player to stop Achane. But if there’s one in particular to be heavily dependent upon, it’s Nakobe Dean.
While the Silver and Black allowed the second-fewest rushing yards per attempt in 2025, they also allowed the third-most rushing touchdowns to opposing offenses. Dean, despite only playing in 10 games last season, totaled seven tackles for loss and 15 run stops. In Las Vegas, he takes over as the green dot linebacker.
“People look at him as one of the top backs in the league and it’s for a reason,” Dean said of facing Achane. “But my motto has always been for defenses period, ‘Stop the run, then you have fun.’ My first priority is always stop the run, any game, every game. Stop the run and then them boys upfront can have fun.”