The Miami Dolphins just got absolutely hammered with some brutal news: star running back De’Von Achane is out for the rest of the 2026 season. Dude tore his ACL in Week 3, and it’s absolutely devastating for everyone involved. What makes it even tougher to swallow? This brutal injury happened on a play in the first half where the refs somehow totally missed a facemask penalty. You hate to see a season end like that, especially with a blatant foul going uncalled.
Achane’s Loss and the Scramble for Snaps
This isn’t just a regular injury, it’s a gut punch for the Dolphins, for fantasy owners who drafted him, and most importantly, for Achane himself. His focus now shifts completely to rehab, aiming to be back on the field for the start of the 2027 season. Thankfully, with the injury happening so early in the season, there’s a good shot he can be ready for Week 1 next year. Before he went down, Achane had carried the ball three times for 17 yards, averaging a solid 5.7 yards per carry in Week 3. His season totals stood at 127 rushing yards and 49 receiving yards, showing he was just getting started. Now, the Miami backfield is left to Ollie Gordon and Jaylen Wright.
Who Steps Up? The Looming Backfield Battle
With Achane done for the year, the spotlight immediately swings to Gordon and Wright. Ollie Gordon was the main man in Week 3 after Achane’s exit, carrying the ball 17 times for just 41 yards, but he did punch in a touchdown. He also caught all three of his targets for 14 yards. We even saw wide receiver Malik Washington briefly in the backfield when Gordon had a short injury scare, which tells you how thin things got! But here’s the rub: Jaylen Wright was sidelined with an injury in Week 3, so we still don’t know how this backfield will truly split once both are healthy and ready to roll. Last season, Wright clearly moved ahead of Gordon and he’s even listed ahead of Gordon on the Dolphins’ unofficial depth chart. We’re expecting Wright to grab a few more carries and be the primary pass-catcher, while Gordon likely gets the majority of the goal-line work in what could be a 60/40 split favoring Wright. However, if Wright isn’t ready to go next week, Gordon could step into a bell-cow role and carry a much heavier load.
Miami now has to figure out this mess fast. The season is still early, and the run game is a huge part of their attack. How these two young backs handle the pressure, and that dreaded goal-line work, will be massive for the Dolphins’ success moving forward.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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