Dolphins rookie RB De'Von Achane being evaluated for knee injury
Miami Dolphins (4-1) head coach Mike McDaniel said Monday that rookie running back De’Von Achane is being evaluated for a knee injury.
The severity of Achane’s injury has yet to be determined. McDaniel declined to say if Achane would miss time or would be undergoing an MRI, per Marcel Louis-Jacques of ESPN. Achane suffered the injury in the 31-16 Week 5 win over the New York Giants (1-4).
“When I don’t know, I literally don’t spend any time forecasting either way,” McDaniel said. “It’s just because we’re getting more information. But I find it trivial to even forecast until I get all the information. So I really don’t know.”
Achane, Miami’s third-round selection out of Texas A&M, ran for 151 yards and a touchdown on 11 carries in the win over New York. Achane has surpassed the century mark in three straight games, and with 460 yards, is second in the NFL behind only Christian McCaffrey of the San Francisco 49ers in rushing yards through five games (510). The 21-year-old has accomplished as much on just 38 carries, tied for 37th in the league.
McDaniel lauded Achane’s toughness for potentially playing while in pain.
“It’s just something we’re treating that we’ll get more information on,” McDaniel said. “He was in and out of the game, a standard rotation. … He thought he might have something but he’s such a tough kid. It was kind of tough to read, so we needed to evaluate more and that’s what we’re doing today.”
De’Von Achane has been one of the best stories in 2023
Achane has been one of the great surprises this season, especially seeing that he was a healthy scratch in Week 1. After receiving just one carry in Week 2, Achane exploded for 233 total yards and four touchdowns in the 70-20 Week 3 victory over the Denver Broncos.
His rapid ascension has stood out to his teammates, specifically quarterback Tua Tagovailoa.
“The coolest thing about someone like him being a rookie is just who he is as a person,” Tagovailoa said. “How you see him on the sideline — just chill, relaxed. That’s who he is, and that’s how he is in the huddle. To be able to go in the huddle and see someone like that, it’s very promising to know that … basically if he’s getting the ball, you know it’s going to be a big play more often than not.
“I’ve got a lot of respect for that guy, and I think a lot of guys around the league have a lot of respect for him as well. The cool thing about it is like he doesn’t take heed to listening to any of that. Just a humble guy. Just coming into work, doing what he needs to help the team win.”