The Miami Dolphins may have exiled the vast majority of their previous core players, but they wisely held onto De'Von Achane via a recent contract extension.
Although Achane plays one of the NFL's more "replaceable" and shorter shelf life positions, and he's undersized, you don't just plug in someone else for him. Achane is straight-up electric. A touchdown waiting to happen on any given play.
Opponents should shudder to think how new Dolphins quarterback Malik Willis' running ability will open up lanes for Achane, who averages 5.6 yards per carry for his career as is.
Achane is still working his way back to the field from a shoulder injury, yet even early on in Miami's offseason program, Willis has made a good impression on him.
De'Von Achane praises Malik Willis for quickly assimilating as a core Miami Dolphins leader
In the latest episode of retired Dolphins left tackle Terron Armstead's The Set podcast, Achane had great things to say about Willis. Despite minimal interactions thus far, Willis' physical tools and leadership abilities are already standing out to the dynamic tailback:
"We ain't had one-on-one stuff yet, because I had been in rehab and stuff like that. [...] Us talking by the locker room, on the field, he's a good dude. Good to hang around. Wants to talk about football...really a great quarterback. He's strong. He can run. It's good when you've got a dual-threat quarterback who can make plays with his feet. You can tell he's coming around, learning the plays very fast. You would think he's been there a while with how he carries himself."
There ought to be a bit of carryover from the system Willis ran for two seasons in Green Bay under Matt LaFleur. Ex-Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley hired another branch off the Kyle Shanahan/Sean McVay coaching tree in Bobby Slowik to call the shots on offense.
Slowik's system should be similar in the running game to what Mike McDaniel ran in Miami, given their shared coaching pedigrees. That's great news for Achane. As for Willis, his cannon of an arm will stretch the field, force defenses to play more two-high coverage, and thus lighten the box for Achane.
Never mind all the possibilities of designed QB runs with Willis under center. Er, in the shotgun. Er, in the pistol.
What stands out most about Achane's comments actually has little to do with the actual football side of things. How much can you tell when everyone's in shorts and not wearing pads anyway?
Achane echoed Slowik's sentiments about Willis' presence and how fun he is to be around. Just being "one of the guys" as a quarterback goes a long way in an NFL locker room. It seems Willis is a natural leader without having to force it or trying to be somebody he's not.
Those intangibles will be as important as Willis' self-evident potential on the gridiron as the Dolphins navigate what figures to be a tumultuous 2026 season full of losing. But who knows? If Willis and Achane can run the rock at an elite level, and Hafley can elevate Miami's defense, perhaps this team can shock the football world.
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