Miami is 0-3 and just lost its best offensive player for the year. De’Von Achane tore his ACL against Kansas City and went on injured reserve Monday, ending a season that was already going badly.
He was hurt on the Dolphins’ first possession of a 24-10 loss. Three carries, 17 yards, and out. An MRI on Monday confirmed the tear, first reported by Adam Schefter.
The Play Should Not Have Been Legal
This is the part that should bother Miami all season. Chiefs safety Alohi Gilman brought Achane down by the facemask and twisted him awkwardly in the process. No penalty was called.
A missed facemask call is a 15-yard mistake in most games. This one cost a franchise its 1,350-yard back and whatever was left of its year.
Hafley Saw It Coming
Jeff Hafley did not sell hope after the game, which was the right instinct even if it was grim to hear.
“To be very honest with you, it does not sound very optimistic at this moment,” Hafley said. “But I can’t give you any other details until I have them.”
Coaches usually buy themselves 48 hours with vague language about tests. Hafley essentially told everyone the news was bad before the MRI confirmed it.
What Miami Lost
Achane turns 25 on October 13. He signed a four-year, $64 million extension in May, which makes this an expensive injury in addition to a devastating one.
Last season he made his first Pro Bowl with a career-best 1,350 rushing yards and eight touchdowns. Over his career he has 3,167 rushing yards and 22 rushing scores plus 179 catches for 1,326 yards and 13 more touchdowns, which is the profile of a back who is a receiving threat as much as a runner.
His 2026 line before the injury was modest: 34 carries for 127 yards and seven catches for 49 yards with no touchdowns in three games. The Dolphins offense was not working before he got hurt either.
The Backfield Behind Him Is Alarming
Ollie Gordon II is the next man up after taking 17 carries for 41 yards and a touchdown in Week 3. Jaylen Wright has been dealing with a stinger and a foot issue and was inactive against Kansas City. Behind them are practice squad backs Jarquez Hunter and Carlos Washington.
The clearest sign of how bad it got: quarterback Malik Willis led Miami in rushing in Week 3 with 56 yards on nine attempts. That is not a plan, it is improvisation.
Where This Leaves Miami
An 0-3 team in a division with Buffalo at 3-0 is already finished in any realistic sense. The question now is whether this becomes a lost year that produces something, or a lost year that produces nothing.
Achane should be ready for 2027. ACL recoveries are routine for running backs now in a way they were not a decade ago, and he will be 25 for most of his rehab. Miami’s job between now and January is to avoid wasting the rest of his contract on a roster that cannot protect him or move the ball without him.
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.