De’Von Achane is done for the season. Let that sink in for a second, because for the Miami Dolphins, it means their already miserable 0-3 start just went from bad to abysmal. The star running back, who was pretty much the only bright spot, tore his ACL in the Week 3 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. And if you thought things couldn’t get worse for a team that hasn’t scored more than 13 points in a game yet, well, you were wrong. This campaign, already a disaster, just got a whole lot worse. We’re talking abysmal, maybe even historically bad.
Losing Their Only Star Just Crushed This Offense
Achane isn’t just *a* talented player, he’s the *most* talented player on that Dolphins roster by a mile. I mean, it’s not even close. This dude led the NFL in yards per carry last season and was a killer pass-catcher out of the backfield. He was supposed to be the lifeblood of their young, inexperienced offense, the one guy who could actually make things happen. And get this: they were already struggling big time *with* him in the lineup. Seriously, they haven’t scored more than 13 points in any game. Their leading rusher each time? Never cracked 74 yards. Quarterback Malik Willis hasn’t topped 220 passing yards in a single outing, and not one receiver has hit the 100-yard mark. This wasn’t a competitive offense *with* Achane, so what happens now that he’s gone? It’s going to be dreadfully difficult for Miami to move the ball, period.
A Roster Built on Debt and Dread
So, why are the Dolphins in such a terrible spot? It’s a full-blown talent drain. This roster was already being argued as the worst collection of talent the NFL has ever seen *before* Achane went down. And the reason is brutal: $183 million in dead money. Seriously. That’s tied up in guys like Tua Tagovailoa, Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle, and a bunch of other departed stars. It’s the biggest sum in NFL history, swallowing a whopping 60% of their salary cap. No team has ever even gone above 45% before this.
No wonder they couldn’t build a competitive roster. They scoured the scrap heap in free agency and ended up with an NFL-leading 13 draft picks, making them the least experienced, youngest team, and the squad with the fewest Pro Bowlers in the league. And guess what? Achane was the *only* one to earn a Pro Bowl selection. Now he’s gone. High-end talent? Nonexistent. Look, going 0-17 is incredibly hard, right? No team’s done it since the NFL went to 17 games in 2021. The Cleveland Browns were the last to lose ’em all back in their 0-16 2017 campaign. But if any franchise is going to be the first to drop every single matchup on this 17-game schedule? It’s shaping up to be this one. Oh, and their schedule? Brutal. It’s the second-toughest in the NFL based on 2025 win totals. Just another kick in the gut for an already reeling team.
So, what’s next for Miami? Forget winning. The real question is whether this team can actually avoid making history as the first 0-17 squad in the modern NFL. With Achane out and that kind of roster debt, it’s going to be a long, painful season in South Florida. Good luck with that.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by CBS Sports.
Leave a Reply