MIAMI GARDENS -- After an explosive 2023 rookie season in which he led the NFL in yards per carry, Miami Dolphins running back De'Von Achane seemed destined for a larger role within the team's offense in 2024.
On a team that also featured receivers Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle, not only did Achane secure a larger role, but he was also Miami's centerpiece.
The 2023 third-round pick recorded more yards from scrimmage than any Dolphins running back since 2016. He was the only Dolphins player to score double-digit touchdowns (12) this season. He had nearly as many touches (281) by himself than the next three closest Dolphins players had combined (283).
But Achane's efficiency dropped with the increased workload and amid offensive line woes. The Dolphins also struggled to move the ball in short-yardage situations. As the team prepares for a pivotal 2025 season, general manager Chris Grier and coach Mike McDaniel must decide whether Achane is best suited to be a high-usage back, or if they need to add another player to complement him in that role.
"I think it's easy and appropriate to say that our physicality was shortchanged in short-yardage situations," McDaniel said. "I think we have tremendous room to improve there, and I see that as an opportunity because you're trying to bridge the gap where you fall short and find ways to make gains. I think with absolute certainty that's a part of our football that can and will improve."
Achane led the NFL with 7.8 yards per rush as a rookie in 2023, though he played only 11 games; that number dropped to a still respectable 4.5 yards per carry in 2024. But the Dolphins' 69.7% run block win rate ranked 26th in the NFL, and it impacted Achane's efficiency. According to NextGen Stats, he averaged 0.24 yards before coming within 1 yard of the nearest defender this season, the eighth-lowest mark in the league out of 44 qualified runners.
Grier pointed to injuries on the offensive line, namely right tackle Austin Jackson, for the team's struggles in the run game.
"Austin was a huge loss," Grier said. "Through Week 9 or 10 we were still up there, running the ball, moving, playing well and it was a huge loss for us. And then once he went down, it was like a slow bleed out the rest of the year with guys just playing through stuff, being nicked, battled and bruised."
The Dolphins rushed for at least 100 yards in six of their eight games prior to Jackson's placement on injured reserve in Week 10. They did so twice in their final nine games after his injury.
Achane dramatically out-touched the Dolphins' other running backs for a reason, however -- his proficiency in the passing game.
"I think it's not really as much the other guys as just the versatility and what De'Von brings, just in the passing game along with the running game," offensive coordinator Frank Smith said in December.
Raheem Mostert and rookie Jaylen Wright combined for 175 touches this season as Achane made it difficult for Miami's coaches to take him off the field in obvious passing situations. His 78 receptions for 592 yards led the Dolphins' running backs.
Achane finished the season with 20 more catches than Waddle and three fewer than Hill. The Dolphins' willingness to shift away from relying as heavily on their star receivers in the passing game suggests Achane's receiving numbers won't be an aberration moving forward.
Although he played all 17 games this season, it might be testing fate to give the 5-foot-9, 190-pound Achane nearly 300 touches in 2025.
Before it opens training camp in July, Miami must address its lack of physicality in short-yardage situations -- to both improve in that area and preserve Achane's reps. The Dolphins ran the ball 20 times on third-and-1 this past season but ranked 23rd in conversion rate at 55%. On three rushing attempts on fourth-and-1, they lost 3 yards and failed to pick up a first down.
Miami's short-yardage struggles were displayed on a national stage against the Green Bay Packers on Thanksgiving, when the Dolphins failed to score despite running three consecutive plays from the 1-yard line.
Whether the team believes its issues were schematic or personnel-based will become clear by its moves in free agency and the draft. Jeff Wilson Jr., who has been Miami's most physical runner over the past three seasons, is a free agent and logged just 16 carries in nine games this season.
Najee Harris, Aaron Jones and AJ Dillon lead a list of potentially available running backs who could fill a short-yardage role for the Dolphins and allow them to move Achane into the slot more frequently.
Miami has glaring holes on its offensive line to address before it worries about who's running behind it and is $17 million over the projected salary cap. But Achane established himself as its most versatile player in 2024. Ensuring he is used efficiently will be critical for the Dolphins' success in 2025.