The Dolphins signed veteran wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. this offseason to supplement Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle, and the team may also see increased WR reps from an unlikely in-house source. According to David Furones of the South Florida Sun Sentinel, the Dolphins appear to be making a determined effort to give second-year running back De’Von Achane more opportunities as a wide receiver.
Given Achane’s remarkable rookie season in 2023, in which he accumulated 800 rushing yards on just 103 carries, it makes sense that Miami would want to get the Texas A&M product the ball as much as possible and in as many ways as possible. Head coach Mike McDaniel, who believes the “sophmore slump” is a real phenomenon, said, “a lot of times, if you have success as a rookie, you go one of two ways. You’re either starved for more or you can get kind of comfortable. … You get out what you put in, and I think [Achane is] aware of that because nobody wants to have the climax of their career be the first year.”
To that end, Achane stated that one of his key goals this offseason was to improve his route running so that he could gain more traction in the passing game, and he discussed his efforts as a receiver during the Dolphins’ spring workouts.
“Just me lining up at different positions, as far as like receiver, running routes and stuff,” according to him. “That’s something that we’re doing different this year, so that’s something that I’ve been doing in the offseason.”
To be sure, Achane saw plenty of action from receiver positions in 2023. Pro Football Focus credited him with 323 offensive snaps last season, 73 of which came in the slot and 33 outside the numbers. Jared Dubin of CBS Sports delves deeper into those numbers, noting that while Achane continued to receive handoffs while lined up as a receiver, he was also targeted on 21 throws, catching 16 for 122 yards. He finished the season with 1.58 yards per route run, 0.6 yards greater than the league average for RBs lining up outside of the backfield.
It therefore stands to reason that Achane would want to continue honing his receiving abilities, especially since his size (5-9, 188) precludes him from being a bell-cow back. His explosiveness — his 7.8 yards-per-carry average is a Super Bowl-era record for any RB with at least 100 rushes — makes him a formidable weapon no matter how he gets the ball. “He had outstanding ball production. … To find different ways to get people the ball, whether that’s different types of pass routes, whether that’s different types of run schemes that you can get comfortable with, all those things. More ways to be at the point of attack to play within this offense, that’s what this offseason really provides for him,” McDaniel said
Achane’s other main goal this offseason was to get stronger to better withstand the physicality of the NFL. He spent time on IR last year with a knee injury, and creating opportunities for him in space on the other side of opposing defensive lines should increase his chances of remaining healthy while also allowing him and fellow RB Raheem Mostert, a dynamic back in his own right, to be on the field at the same time.
