Miami Dolphins running back De'Von Achane suffered a torn ACL during Sunday's loss to the Kansas City Chiefs and will be out for the rest of the 2026 season, sources told ESPN's Adam Schefter and NFL Network's Ian Rapoport on Monday.
"My heart breaks for him but at the same time, I know that he'll be back and he'll be back strong," coach Jeff Hafley said Monday.
The Dolphins placed Achane on injured reserve Monday.
Achane was injured on his third rushing attempt of the game Sunday, when he was tackled awkwardly by Chiefs safety Alohi Gilman. Achane was slow to leave the field and was eventually escorted to the blue medical tent under his own power. He ultimately left the tent after a few minutes and was taken to the locker room for additional testing before being ruled out in the second half.
Achane signed a four-year, $64 million contract this offseason and is considered a "pillar" of the rebuilding Dolphins, according to general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan. This is the first major injury of his career; he missed five games as a rookie in 2023 but only missed one over the following two seasons.
He rushed for 127 yards on 34 carries in three games. He was coming off the best season of his career in 2025, when he recorded 1,838 yards from scrimmage and 12 total touchdowns en route to his first Pro Bowl nod.
Behind Achane, Ollie Gordon II was the only other active running back for Sunday's 24-10 loss that dropped the Dolphins to 0-3. Jaylen Wright was inactive with a stinger, and Jarquez Hunter is on the practice squad.
Gordon had 41 rushing yards and a touchdown on 17 carries while also catching three passes for 14 yards.
Wide receiver Malik Washington took snaps at running back after Achane's injury, and Hafley said the game-day roster construction was intentional because of their confidence in Washington's ability to fill in if needed.
Hafley said he has "full confidence" in the running backs on the Dolphins' roster, but he and general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan will discuss in the next few days whether the team needs to add another running back.
"That philosophy remains -- I want to run the football. That's important and we've got the offensive line to do it. I have a lot of confidence in these backs, so this isn't like we can't run the ball anymore," Hafley said Monday. "These are NFL players ... Yeah, I'm going to miss De'Von big time, but at the same time, I have total confidence in those guys that we're going to be able to run the football."
Miami traded a 2025 third-round draft pick to select Wright in the fourth round in 2024. The former Tennessee running back has rushed for 547 yards and two touchdowns in his career, including a 107-yard performance against the New York Jets last season. Gordon, a Doak Walker award winner while playing for Oklahoma State, was the Dolphins' sixth-round pick last season and rushed for 199 yards and three touchdowns as a rookie.
The Dolphins traded for Hunter this summer, sending wide receiver Tutu Atwell to the Los Angeles Rams in exchange for the 2025 fourth-round pick out of Auburn. He played in five games as a rookie last season but has yet to register an offensive touch.
Since his rookie season, Achane ranks 12th in the NFL in scrimmage yards with 4,510 and 13th in scrimmage touchdowns with 35. His six yards per touch is sixth among running backs in that same span.
He is already one of the most productive Dolphins players in franchise history after just three seasons. He is seventh all time in rushing yards with 3,184 and sixth in scrimmage yards. He has also scored the third-most touchdowns by a running back in franchise history.
Achane has been the focal point of the Dolphins' offense for the past three seasons. He has touched the ball 627 times since 2024; no other current Dolphins player has more than 150 in that span.
