{"id":50408,"date":"2025-05-14T21:47:09","date_gmt":"2025-05-14T21:47:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/50408\/"},"modified":"2025-05-14T21:47:09","modified_gmt":"2025-05-14T21:47:09","slug":"dolphins-devon-achane-requires-contract-extension","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/50408\/","title":{"rendered":"Dolphins’ DeVon Achane requires contract extension"},"content":{"rendered":"

I\u2019d like to see Miami Dolphins<\/a> third-year running back De\u2019Von Achane in his ideal role for this offense in 2025.<\/p>\n

But what\u2019s the ideal role for the speedy and diminutive Achane, an accomplished cutback runner and a can\u2019t-be-ignored threat as a slot receiver?<\/p>\n

We\u2019ll allow Achane to tell us. What we know for certain is that his talents must be maximized.<\/p>\n

The multi-talented Achane, at 5 foot 9, 188 pounds, is the future of the Dolphins offense<\/a>.<\/p>\n

On that note, the Dolphins<\/a> might want to get a contract extension with Achane completed after this season.<\/p>\n

The Dolphins<\/a> can\u2019t make the same mistake with Achane as they made with other prized draftees, such as defensive tackle Christian Wilkins and guard Robert Hunt, meaning allowing him to get to his final season of their rookie deals without an extension and then losing him.<\/p>\n

Look at it this way: Tempestuous wide receiver Tyreek Hill<\/a> costs $51 million on the salary cap in 2026. Most likely, he won\u2019t be around by then. The Dolphins would save $36.3 million by cutting him before June 1, 2026, and would gladly absorb the $15.5 million dead money cap hit, which they could spread over a few years.\u00a0<\/p>\n

That would leave Achane to move the chains in 2026 along with quarterback Tua Tagovailoa and wide receiver Jaylen Waddle.<\/p>\n

But make no mistake, in that scenario the multi-talented Achane would be The Man.<\/p>\n

Achane is easily the best draftee of the coach Mike McDaniel era.<\/p>\n

Last season he totaled 1,499 yards from scrimmage \u2014 907 rushing and 592 receiving \u2014 and 12 touchdowns.<\/p>\n

Achane increased his games played by six (11 in 2023, 17 in 2024), increased his carries by 100 (103 to 203) and increased his receptions by 51 (27 to 78).<\/p>\n

Achane had a simple goal for 2024.<\/p>\n

\u201cStaying healthy was the main goal,\u201d said Achane, who spoke to the media Wednesday during a Zoom conference call.<\/p>\n

Achane sustained a concussion early last season but didn\u2019t miss a game after playing a rookie season shortened by knee injuries due to hip-drop tackles<\/a> against the New York Giants and Las Vegas and sustaining a preseason shoulder injury against Houston.<\/p>\n

He endured last season by applying knowledge attained in his rookie season.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou learn how to stay healthy for 17 weeks,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

For Achane\u2019s health and the offense\u2019s health, his ideal role in 2025 is something that doesn\u2019t require him to frequently run between the tackles in power running situations.<\/p>\n

You\u2019d like to think that job belongs to either hulking veteran Alexander Mattison or hard-running rookie draftee Ollie Gordon II<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Achane\u2019s ideal role, in his description, is being used similar to how he was used in 2024.<\/p>\n

By the way, he said that entails rushing for more than 1,000 yards and having 500 yards receiving. And playing smarter. He\u2019s watched film of his receptions from last season.<\/p>\n

\u201cI feel like I left a lot of plays (on the field), and I feel like I could have done more,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

He knows how he\u2019ll make changes, especially in the run game. Achane said he\u2019s seen his faults from last year in the run game.<\/p>\n

\u201cMe trying to make a big play, instead of just doing the right thing,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

He has a goal for 2026.<\/p>\n

\u201cAlways (try) to get the ball to the line of scrimmage, even on a bad play,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Achane is learning. Fast.<\/p>\n

He\u2019ll be better in 2025 than he was in 2024 or 2023.<\/p>\n

If, as expected, Achane eclipses 1,000 yards from scrimmage this year \u2014 he had 1,499 last year and 997 as a rookie \u2014 his price will skyrocket.<\/p>\n

The Dolphins need to decide whether to extend Achane a year early, meaning after the 2025 season, so they can get him on the (relative) cheap.<\/p>\n

By the way, when you discuss Dolphins draftees that got away in addition to Wilkins and Hunt to a lesser extent, you could throw in edge rusher Andrew Van Ginkel.<\/p>\n

The Dolphins rolled the dice and lost on all three. They waited a year too long in the case of Wilkins and Hunt and got priced out of the market (yes, both wound up being overpaid). With Van Ginkel, the Dolphins missed on predicting his ceiling. He went to the Pro Bowl this year (same as Hunt). The Dolphins should have seen Van Ginkel\u2019s potential.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s impossible to miss Achane\u2019s potential.<\/p>\n

It\u2019d be rare for me to extend a running back that I drafted, signed and used fairly extensively. Running backs don\u2019t last long in the NFL and often their best years are behind them when they sign their second contract.<\/p>\n

Achane is different, and with measured use this season, he could be around for the long haul.<\/p>\n

If the Dolphins use Achane correctly this season, and extend his contract at the right time, he could keep his title as the best draftee of the McDaniel era for another three or four years.<\/p>\n

Originally Published: May 14, 2025 at 3:22 PM EDT<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"I\u2019d like to see Miami Dolphins third-year running back De\u2019Von Achane in his ideal role for this offense…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":50409,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2049],"tags":[17047,217,7,216,251,2087,6],"class_list":{"0":"post-50408","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-miami-dolphins","8":"tag-devon-achane","9":"tag-dolphins","10":"tag-football","11":"tag-miami","12":"tag-miami-dolphins","13":"tag-miamidolphins","14":"tag-nfl"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50408","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=50408"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50408\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/50409"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=50408"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=50408"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=50408"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}