Dolphins star RB De'Von Achane suffers season-ending ACL tear

C. Isaiah Smalls II, Miami Herald on Sep 28, 2026

Published in Football

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MIAMI — Miami Dolphins star running back De’Von Achane suffered a torn ACL on Sunday vs. the Kansas City Chiefs.

Achane will be out for the season, a source confirmed to the Miami Herald.

“My heart breaks for the guy,” coach Jeff Hafley said. “You talk about him as a great player but as I’ve gotten to know him, watching him grow and develop — earning the captain role, becoming a leader of the team, becoming such a great teammate. I love his energy, I love his enthusiasm, I love his positivity. Just the growth from him as a person, all of his teammates felt it and I felt it.”

The news comes a little under 24 hours after Achane went down with a knee injury. After initially being ruled questionable, he was quickly downgraded to out.

Hafley subsequently provided a grim update in his postgame press conference.

“To be very honest with you, it does not sound very optimistic at this moment,” Hafley said.

The timing of Achane’s injury couldn’t be worse. Already a young team, the Dolphins needed the former Texas A&M standout to be the driving force of the offense — especially after he signed a four-year, $68 million contract extension in the offseason. It was a role that Achane had certainly prepared for since being drafted in the third round of the 2023 NFL draft.

“It was just important for the team,” Achane said of his growth as a leader. “The leadership thing kind of like fell into my lap, but I’m getting better at it, and it’s something I’m getting comfortable with. I feel like being RB1 and like you said a star on the team, I got to be that. So whatever the team needs by me, I’m willing to give it to them.”

The focus now shifts to who will replace Achane, a borderline impossible question considering the running back had the second-most productive season in Dolphins history in 2025.

Miami could take a running back by committee approach, something that will benefit everyone from Jaylen Wright, who missed Sunday’s game with stinger and foot injuries, to Ollie Gordon II. A 2023 Doak Walker Award winner, Gordon rushed for 41 yards and a touchdown on 17 carries in the 24-10 loss to the Chiefs.

“Going into the game, you just always got to have that next-man-up mentality and be ready to go whenever your number is called,” Gordon said.

The Dolphins could also opt to use wide receiver Malik Washington, who finished Sunday with two carries for five yards, in the backfield more.

“He’s done it in his career, whether it’s lining up in two -back looks, catching the ball out of the backfield,” Hafley said. “He’s really good with the ball in his hands and he’s very smart. We know that he can go in there and handle the position.”

The Dolphins also will likely promote either one of the two practice squad running backs —Jarquez Hunter and Carlos Washington Jr. — to the active roster.

Hunter arrived in Miami after the Dolphins traded wide receiver Tutu Atwell for the running back’s services at the 53-man roster deadline.

“He’s a hard-charging, very physical runner that I feel like embodies what we want to be here,” general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan said of Hunter. “The physical, run-first, got to build the line of scrimmage, all that stuff. But he gets downhill, gets the tough yards. Wanted to get him here.”

A standout training camp player, Washington didn’t make the 53-man roster but was swiftly added to the practice squad.

“He’s a guy that’s kind of just quietly had a good camp,” Hafley said. “He’s explosive. He runs hard. He’s got a good center of gravity. He can break tackles. He just works. I have a lot of respect for how he’s approached every single day. He just puts his head down and goes.”

With the expectations of the 2026 Dolphins already not high at 0-3, expect the season to get a lot more rough as the team begins to navigate life without Achane.

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