Heading into their Friday afternoon battle with the New York Jets, the Miami Dolphins ruled out running back De’Von Achane before the contest.
The rookie had been a limited participant on the injury report throughout the week after leaving the team’s previous game with the Las Vegas Raiders after just three snaps due to a knee injury.
So, instead of pushing Achane, head coach Mike McDaniel decided to move forward with Raheem Mostert, Jeff Wilson Jr. and Darrynton Evans, who was called up from the practice squad.
On Tuesday, McDaniel went deeper into the decision to sit the third-round pick against the division rival.
“It was more of all things involved, all variables,” McDaniel said. “Knowing the team that we were going against, knowing short weeks and what you kind of need to be able to orchestrate a victory in those weeks, they’re always physical, they’re always fast. There’s always some uncertainty on both sides of the ball, in my opinion, because the bottom line is you are taking a full work week and cutting it in half, almost.
“So any uncertainty with things of that nature I didn’t think was very smart for him to put his best foot forward, and I felt good about what Raheem (Mostert) and Jeff (Wilson Jr.) were bringing to the table. So it just didn’t seem as prudent.”
It’s unclear whether or not Achane will play this upcoming week against the Washington Commanders, but the Dolphins have been extremely cautious with injuries in McDaniel’s tenure.
Whenever he does return, we’ll, once again, see the speed and explosiveness that make him a weapon that can completely change the dynamic of a game any time he touches the ball.