The first half of the Miami Dolphins’ 2024 season has not gone as planned.
At 2-6, they currently sit in 12th place in the AFC with nine games remaining. In a season marked by quarterback injuries, opponent field goals and defensive collapses, there has been one consistent force on offense: De’Von Achane.
“He’s unbelievable,” 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 someone who is so young in his journey and career. But his confidence and his belief in his abilities and his preparation is through the roof, so it’s no surprise to us in this building what he’s doing – it’s no surprise to himself.
After an exceptional rookie season, Achane followed up with an almost equally impressive sophomore campaign. Her 754 all-purpose yards ranks 18th in the NFL while Pro Football Focus ranked him as the sixth best pass catcher. His rise has helped the Dolphins rediscover their offensive identity amid a tumultuous start to the season.
In eight games, Achane has totaled 93 carries for 420 yards and two touchdowns. He 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 matched or exceeded his receiving stats.
“Catching balls is really natural for me,” Achane said Tuesday. “Growing up, I always played running back, but I played other positions as well as receiver in the slot. So when it comes to catching the football, it’s like I’m running the football. That’s how I see it. It’s something I do, something I’m good 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. Her 37 catches not only lead the Dolphinsbut his receiving yards are tied for third with Jonnu Smith despite missing most of the Indianapolis Colts game with a concussion. Achane credited his offseason work with his growth as a pass catcher.
“This offseason, when the receivers were going out and throwing with Tua [Tagovailoa]I made sure I was there too,” Achane said. The former Texas A&M halfback did it because “the running back can get the ball thrown to him too, especially in this offense, so that’s something I’m proud of, going out and working with them, learn from them.”
And what exactly did he learn?
“Just the intangibles of being a receiver,” Achane said.
Achane added: “When defenses face us, they play a lot of twos so a lot of press. So when I’m lined up out there, if someone tries to rush me, just the footwork, the things that they go through and the timing of that offense and I’m just learning, like I have a route inner, how to release or how to ask that person to do that.
The ability to understand the nuances of the receiver position has transformed Achane into one of the Dolphins’ most reliable offensive threats – especially since he was available for most of the season after missing six games in due to injury as a rookie.
“My body feels good,” Achane said. “I pride myself on taking care of myself after all the injuries I had last year, so this year I’ve been pretty big on that. I’m still in the training room trying to stay fresh because, like you said, we have a long season ahead of us. We already had our bye week early, so from now on there’s no break, so play every week and just try to make sure my body is ready for game day.
Achane’s availability helped the Dolphins achieve some team success in 2023 when the team ranked sixth in rushing attack. This was especially true during Tagovailoa’s four absences when the Dolphins were forced to lean heavily while running. The result: The Dolphins rushed for at least 150 yards in three straight games before losing a yard to the Buffalo Bills on Sunday.
“That’s the ball we want to show on Sunday,” Tagovailoa said after the 30-27 loss to the Bills, “but there’s a lot of stuff we’re going to have to clean up.”
As the Dolphins enter the second half of the season, Achane will certainly be involved if the team is to have success down the stretch. Some good defenses will stand in the way – looking at you, the San Francisco 49ers and New York Jets – but the Dolphins’ playoff goals are still within their reach. That is, if they learn from every defeat and win, which Achane says is possible.
“We’re getting better,” Achane said. “Every week we try to make sure we improve from last week. But I always feel like there’s more. I feel like I can always do more and that’s something I’m proud of trying to do better than last week.
