The Miami Dolphins offense has a new face that fans can easily get behind. There are no fences to straddle and no need to debate it. De'Von Achane is the leader of the team's offense.
It's a tall task for any player in the NFL, let alone a young kid who hasn't finished his rookie contract. Achane may not be the most eloquent speaker, but he cuts to the chase. He takes accountability for his mistakes, but more importantly, he praises his teammates for his successes.
On Sunday, Achane crossed the 1,000-yard mark for the first time in his NFL career. It likely won't be his last. What the Dolphins now have to decide is when to lock him up to a longer contract.
De'Von Achane has emerged as the offensive leader the team desperately needs
Achane spoke about his accomplishments after the game and gave credit to the way the team prepares. His leadership wasn't lost on Tua Tagovailoa, and it wasn't lost on his head coach. Both praised the youngster for his leadership. His head coach may carry a bit more weight.
"He has taken a step to become a leader. It's not just his play, he is far more vocal, we align him everywhere and ask him to do a ton of jobs, and he takes pride in being very on top of his assignments."Mike McDaniel
Achane is asked to do a lot, and, surprisingly, he hasn't been asked to do more. He runs, blocks, catches passes, and if we are all being honest, we would love to see him throw the ball as well. With the way he plays, he would probably excel at that as well.
Tagovailoa should be the leader on offense. He should have the voice that the rest of the team follows, but that isn't the case. The team lacks a leader on that side of the ball; they lack a Jordyn Brooks voice. Achane may be emerging as that player.
McDaniel didn't stumble over his words about Achane, as he so often does when talking about Tagovailoa as a leader. The head coach wasn't explicitly asked whether his RB was becoming a leader; he added it, talked about it, and answered a question about Achane crossing 1,000 yards, nodding to his leadership.