Achane’s Touchdown Only Bright Spot as Dolphins Enter Full Rebuild

Hard Rock Stadium—The roar that greeted De’Von Achane’s first-half touchdown run against the New Orleans Saints felt like a relic of better days. The 28-year-old back sliced through traffic for the score, momentarily lifting the home crowd, but the play only underscored the widening gulf between Miami’s lone remaining star and the franchise’s stark reality.

Hours after the Dolphins dealt Pro Bowl wide receiver Jaylen Waddle, the front office confirmed what league sources already suspected: Miami is tearing the roster down to the studs, absorbing a staggering $175 million in dead-cap charges this season. With the organization punting on 2025 and 2026, every veteran—including Achane—has been made available for trade.

Achane’s value may never be higher. The 2025 league year saw him amass 1,350 rushing yards and eight touchdowns on 5.7 yards per carry while adding 67 receptions for 488 yards and four additional scores. That dual-threat profile has positioned him as a potential season-changer for contenders, and no suitor looms larger than the defending Super Bowl-champion Seattle Seahawks.

Seattle enters the offseason reeling at running back. Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker III signed with Kansas City in free agency, and backup Zach Charbonnet is expected to open the year on the physically-unable-to-perform list after tearing his ACL in the NFC Championship. Pairing Achane with quarterback Malik Willis, wideouts Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Rashid Shaheed, and a top-tier offensive line would restore explosiveness to a backfield suddenly lacking it.

While a hypothetical trade would likely reduce Achane’s raw workload, the improved surrounding cast should boost both efficiency and touchdown probability, keeping him entrenched among the top-five fantasy backs with legitimate RB1 overall upside.

For Miami, the calculus is simple. Tua Tagovailoa, Tyreek Hill, Bradley Chubb, and now Waddle have all been jettisoned, and the Dolphins do not project to be competitive again until at least 2028. Moving Achane while his stock peaks would accelerate the accumulation of draft capital for the incoming regime.

Whether the blockbuster materializes before the trade deadline remains uncertain, but Achane’s touchdown against the Saints already feels like a farewell highlight in a season defined by good-byes.