MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Dolphins running back De’Von Achane isn’t shying away from the short-yardage talk — or from his growing role in Miami’s backfield.
After wide receiver Tyreek Hill recently joked that Achane wasn’t the team’s go-to option in short-yardage situations, the second-year back responded with some humor of his own while speaking to reporters on Tuesday.
“You know No. 10 (Tyreek Hill) every time he’s up here, ain’t no telling what he finna say, what comes out of his mouth,” Achane said. “I feel like we got a relationship where we talk to each other like that. It’s like me saying he’s not our jump ball receiver and always runs fades. It’s the same stuff. But that is something we’ve got to work on – short yardage situations, and I feel like this year we’re going to be better than we were last year.”
Achane said he’s confident in his ability to contribute in all phases, particularly on third down — a role he hopes to expand in 2025.
“I feel like I’m a every down back. Like I said I can be in first, second, third, fourth. I can do a lot just far as running the ball. I also can catch the ball. Like I said, I think I had like 70 or something receptions. I feel like I’m a receiver at this point,” he said, laughing. “It’s great to be out there every down.”
Achane is looking to build off a stellar sophomore campaign that saw him record nearly 1,500 all-purpose yards and a career-high 12 total touchdowns.
The Dolphins’ offensive line, still taking shape early in camp, has also earned praise from Achane as well.
“They’re performing great. Their bond that you see, like if you see one you see the other,” he said. “Since I’ve been here, this group, you can say they’re maturing and I’ve got a lot of explosive runs in camp so I feel great about them.”
The former Texas A&M standout added that he remains comfortable running between the tackles, brushing off any outside noise about his frame and durability.
“I still feel great. Like I said the o-line they’ve been working very, very hard. They’ve been making my job easy,” he said. “If I’ve got to make somebody miss, I feel like that’s my job as a running back. If I’m making somebody miss five to six yards down the field, then I’m ok with that.”
“The work that you put in in this heat I feel like in the game it will be easy,” he added. “I feel like I’m more tired at practice than I am in a game. I don’t be as tired because I put all the work in. I try to work twice as hard at practice so in the game it feels easy.”
As Achane grows into a leadership role, he’s taken notice of the new faces in the backfield — including veteran Alexander Mattison and rookie Ollie Gordon II.
“Like you said he’s a great running back,” Achane said of Mattison. “For his size he actually does move, he’s got great feet, he’s got great vision. For somebody to be that big he moves quite great.”
Reflecting on his own early NFL experiences, Achane shared some advice for Gordon ahead of his first preseason game.
“It’s great man. I tell him all the time. It’s going to be fun because we’re all going to be on the sideline watching, cheering for you. If you do have a bad play, just move on to the next one. We’ve got a lot of football. I told him it’s going to be exciting like I said, you’re going to be nervous because I was nervous. I don’t know if you get nervous, I get nervous still right now before a play. I feel like I’ve got to get tackled then I’m ready to go. I tell him it’s ok to be nervous. Just go out there and play football.”
Achane said the running backs have built chemistry off the field that’s paying dividends in the locker room.
“I just feel like it’s the bond that we create outside of football field,” he said. “We hang with each other outside of football. We talk a lot about situation and I just feel like just because we’re all competing, we still know this is a business and we know whichever one is in we feel like he knows what he’s doing. He can go out there and make plays for the team.”
That culture of inclusion, he said, isn’t new.
“No. I feel like every new running back that comes in we still embrace him the same,” Achane said. “Just like the ones who left we’re all still close, we all still talk to each other. I just feel like whoever is in your room just embrace them and don’t make them feel like an outsider.”
Even with limited preseason snaps expected, Achane is looking forward to joint practices — particularly the chance to test himself against a new defense.
“I feel like it’s exciting just to go against somebody new. We’ve been going against each other for a very long time,” he said. “I feel like as a team we can’t wait to go to Chicago just to practice against somebody new and see how we look against somebody else.”
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