Whether he was saying some of it in jest or not, Miami Dolphins head coach Jeff Hafley's comments on De'Von Achane suggest the new face of the franchise could have a true workhorse load to carry in 2026.
Granted, by giving Achane a lucrative contract extension this offseason, the new Dolphins regime committed to him for the long haul. The thing is, there won't be much of a long haul if Achane can't stay healthy, and let's just say his 5'9", 191-pound frame isn't built for annual Derrick Henry usage levels.
But apparently that's not stopping Hafley or the coaching staff from leaning way into Achane.
Achane shouldn't be run into the ground on a rebuilding, massively undermanned Miami Dolphins team
In a recent interview with ESPN's Rich Eisen, Jeff Hafley's remarks on De'Von Achane should have Dolphins fans more than a little worried about the latter's usage in 2026:
"I just gave Achane a heads-up this morning and I told him, 'You better be in good shape.' I told him there might be some games when I have to pick him up and carry him back to the locker room because he's going to be so tired. [...] I told him, 'I don't ever want to see one of these head taps all year,' and he looked me right in the eye and he said, 'You'll never get that head tap from me.' I said, 'Don't worry buddy. After you touch the ball 40, 45 times, I might have to pick you up and carry you back into the locker room.'"
The hope is that the Dolphins' offense keeps evolving throughout the year, and that someone like Jaylen Wright can step up as the RB2 to take some of the load off Achane's shoulders.
Not that Achane isn't an electric feature back, or that Miami should keep him on some strict pitch count this year. It's about being smart for the future, when the team is actually expected to be competitive and can afford the personnel to contend for a playoff spot.
And look, if new quarterback Malik Willis lights it up as much as he did in his brief action for the Packers the last two years, the Dolphins won't have to ride Achane quite as hard. Willis' running ability alone will take some carries off Achane, who averages 5.6 yards per tote in his career to date and doubles as a lethal receiving threat out of the backfield.
To reiterate, Hafley is likely leaning into hyperbole with those estimates of Achane's single-game touches reaching the 40s on the high end. That is downright unsustainable and straight-up stupid football strategy. Nevertheless, that statement isn't nothing, and while it's flattering toward Achane, it also underscores the risk of a first-year head coach trying to bite off more than he can chew in 2026.
If the Dolphins can match last season's 7-10 record, that should be considered a raging success given their roster's across-the-board deficiencies.
Achane is a metaphorical Ferrari. If you'll humor me with this concluding analogy, there's no need for the Fins to drive him so fast and so far this season when the football forecast in Miami is so suboptimal.
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