It was upsetting news to hear that Miami Dolphins‘ star rookie De’Von Achane would be placed on injured reserve after sustaining a knee injury in their victory over the New York Giants on Sunday. This slates Achane to be eligible to return after their Week 10 bye; Meaning he could play in Week 11.
With Achane heading on IR, this gives the opportunity for Jeff Wilson Jr. to begin his practice window and come off of the IR. Wilson had missed the first five games of the regular season due to injuries to his ribs and finger. He was a limited participant in practice on Wednesday.
Dolphins QB Speaks on Achane
Achane is the sixth Dolphin this season to land on short-term IR. Last week, the Dolphins were able to welcome offensive lineman Robert Jones off of IR to return to practice.
It was a huge blow to Miami to have Achane go down, especially for quarterback Tua Tagovailoa when the running back is someone he can depend on to make the right plays and do an amazing job.
“Yeah, it’s tough seeing any of our guys go down. He’s done a tremendous job for us, De’Von, but I know he’s going to do all that he can to get better.”
Tagovailoa also mentioned how happy him and the team are to have Wilson back.
“We’re extremely happy to have Jeff (Wilson Jr.) back as well. I know Jeff’s really excited to be out there. He’s excited to get things going. He looked really good out there at practice today, so we’re all excited.”
McDaniel not sharing a ton of details
When asked about Achane’s injury and the severity of it, the media has gotten some vague answers from head coach Mike McDaniel about it. He wouldn’t classify it as a sprain, but wouldn’t say how severe it is.
“As far as – there’s not anything more grave. The level of severity, I’m not going to pretend to be an expert in terms of whatever you’d call it, I’m not going to call it. But yeah, the main thing on his mind was procedural, his ability to make sure that he’s going to the games. So it tells you where his mind is at. That’s why we have a large group of very good running backs, because that’s kind of the nature of the position at times.”
McDaniel also mentioned they’re taking Achane’s injury with diligence; Taking it day-by-day, focusing on the current day. Says he’s in good hands and the decision to put him on IR was best for the team.
“It was not black and white, whether or not to put him on IR, but just knowing all the factors, we thought it was best for the team, for sure.
“There’s a finite timeline and the amount of players that you have to consider with the obligations of the whole roster, these are all things that we heavily scrutinize and make sure that we’re doing right by both the player and the team. In this case, it was pretty sound after we worked through it, that that was the best scenario for all parties involved.”
Coach was also asked if Achane will be expected back at any point in the season; Asked if it was fair to assume that he’ll be back.
“That’s fair. That’s very fair. I’d take those tickets from the fair and go to the fair. And if I’m out in the sun too long, my skin will be no longer fair.”
It definitely was an interesting analogy, but gives a little bit of hope and optimism that Dolphins fans will see De’Von Achane on the field again this season.
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