De'Von Achane has been the key to the Miami Dolphins' success this season

He's never had a player quite like Miami running back De'Von Achane.

The third-year running back has been key to the Dolphins' success this season, powering their rushing attack and providing a spark in the passing game. He has six rushing touchdowns and four receiving scores and rushed for 134 yards last week against the New Orleans Saints, putting him over 1,000 yards rushing for the first time in his career.

“You’re not seeing a player just with skill,” McDaniel said Wednesday. “What you learn about him over time is that he’s trying to be great. So I think the work ethic tied to the skill set, it’s exciting because he’s very confident but some of the stuff he’s capable of doing, he hasn’t got to see himself do it yet, I think, in an NFL game.”

Achane's 1,034 yards rushing makes him the fourth player in Dolphins history to reach 1,000 yards in the first 12 games of a season and the fourth player in the league this season to reach the mark.

“It means a lot,” Achane said. “It just shows the hard work that I put in, that me and my team put in. It’s just a stepping stone of mine, and we’ve got to keep moving forward.”

Achane's breakout season isn't a surprise to his teammates, who have praised his growth this year.

Tight end Julian Hill, who had a block that helped Achane score on a 29-yard run against the Saints, said he takes pride in blocking for him.

“If we just give De’Von some space, man, he can do a lot of things with it,” Hill said. “So you just try to make sure you do what you need to do to give him that little crease or give him that little space. And we can see some magical things.”

One of the first things that impressed McDaniel about Achane was his playmaking skills despite his small stature — he's listed on Miami's roster as 5-foot-9, 191 pounds.

“What I noticed from his college days was that he was never taking hits on directly,” McDaniel said, “which when players do that, it means the game is really slow for them. It means that he can see a lot, so there’s some natural football talent. That’s a skill. Not just being fast or having good hands, but that’s a skill of avoiding direct tackles that is very impactful when your job is to move the ball forward.”

That has allowed him to be one of the most productive players in the NFL since he entered the league.

Achane's 5.6 yards-per-carry average is tied for the best mark in the NFL among running backs since 2023, when the Dolphins drafted him in the third round out of Texas A&M. He also leads the league in receiving touchdowns among running backs since being drafted.

“At this point, I feel it’s second nature to De’Von,” said quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. “It’s not something that’s too much for him, regardless of where we put him, regardless of the alignments that he hears in the huddle ... You can see what he does when the ball is in his hands. It looks like it’s about to be a negative two-yard loss. And then he makes it up to be an eight-yard gain.”

There has been a noticeable shift in the Dolphins' offensive philosophy over the past few weeks, as they've gone from utilizing a high-flying passing attack to leaning on their run game.

That has worked. Miami has won four of its last five games and three straight, averaging 176.7 yards on the ground during that span, which is the best mark in the NFL since Week 10.

That has been needed as Miami’s passing game has faltered. On Sunday, the Dolphins recorded fewer than 200 passing yards for the third straight game and went 0-for-2 in the red zone.

McDaniel credited the improved run game in part to the physicality and execution of the offensive line, but he has also pointed to Achane's ability to navigate tight windows and get yards after contact.

“(It) really changes how we’re able to play football,” McDaniel said, “but it also enables him to stay healthy while doing it. Because he’s able to avoid a lot of the big shots. Guys get pretty mad when a fast guy is making them miss. People intend to hit him pretty hard.”

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