It was announced yesterday that the Miami Dolphins’ star rookie running back De’Von Achane had suffered a knee injury in Sunday’s win over the New York Giants.
However, per NFL Network Insiders Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero, Achane is expected to miss the next couple of weeks while the team further analyses the injury. Luckily for Miami, the injury is not season-ending, so the running back’s sensational campaign will continue.
#Dolphins rookie sensation De’Von Achane is week-to-week going forward. It shouldn’t be a prolonged absence for the player with 460 yards and 5 TDs already. https://t.co/gGvy7t9Aq3
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) October 10, 2023
Dolphins’ Running Back Potentially IR Candidate
ESPN’s Adam Schefter also stated that Achane is a possible candidate for injured reserve, which would force him to miss at least four games, putting him up to the Week 10 bye. Miami is expected to play Carolina, Philly, New England, and Kansas City all before the bye week. He’s expected to get a second opinion on Tuesday to determine if he needs to go on IR.
If he were to be put on injured reserve, this opens up the practice window for RB Jeff Wilson Jr, as he’s missed the first five weeks of the season being on IR.
With De’Von Achane now being an injured reserve candidate due to his knee injury, the team is expected to open the window for RB Jeff Wilson Jr. to start practicing this week, per source. https://t.co/IgPxRhXCVi
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) October 10, 2023
The running back was injured Sunday where he had 151 rushing yards and a touchdown on 11 carries, marking his third consecutive game where he drew more than 100-yards in a single game.
When head coach Mike McDaniel spoke with media on Monday, he didn’t want to put a timetable on Achane’s recovery as they were still evaluating the severity of the injury.
But it looks like a timetable has been established and they’re going to work on getting the running back 100% healthy so the Dolphins can continue their thrilling run.
How he sustained the injury is uncertain, but based on video, it seems that in his last carry of the game, his right leg got twisted up and he grimaced before jogging off the field.
How Achane’s Absence Impacts the Team.
Losing Achane for even a game is a blow to Miami, but missing a couple of weeks? They’ll be without his speed and agility, with the workload falling back onto other star players like Raheem Mostert and potential Jeff Wilson if he’s cleared to start his practice window and work towards getting back on the field.
However, Miami is able to make up for him being down, they have a superb line of defense that many NFL teams should be afraid or at least intimidated by.
Other Players Picking Up the Workload
Even though Achane leads the team in rushing yards this season with 460, Mostert has been their second-best right behind him. While he doesn’t have the speed and electricity like the rookie RB does, Mostert is averaging 5.4 yards per carry and is leading the team in touchdowns with eight.
The only concern with relying on Mostert is his durability; Only once in his nine-year career has he appeared in every single game. In 2020, he missed eight games, and in 2021 he missed 16. But McDaniel knows what he’s doing, clearly. The Dolphins are arguably the best team in the NFL when it comes to power and speed.
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