Miami Dolphins RB De’Von Achane appears bigger heading into his second NFL season.
Monday marked the start of offseason training for teams with returning head coaches, signaling the formal start of year three for Mike McDaniel and the Miami Dolphins.
Unfortunately, just because players returned to the facility to partake in the team’s offseason conditioning program does not mean we should search Twitter for a highlight of Tua Tagovailoa throwing a dot to Tyreek Hill. The truth is that the first few days, and even weeks, are always slow, with little information coming in.
However, no one can stop Dolphins fans from becoming unduly excited about some of the photos the team posts of our favorite players arriving at the facility. Jonnu Smith, the newly signed tight end, arrived in a Tesla Cybertruck, which was rather impressive. And let’s not pretend we didn’t enjoy seeing Tua smile from ear to ear, eager to get back into the lab.
However, what drew the most notice on social media was how much bigger second-year running back De’Von Achane appeared when he arrived for offseason training. I’m talking about a Charmander-to-Charmeleon evolution, or, as I mentioned before, Kadabra-to-Alakazam.
During his debut season, Achane carried the ball 103 times for 800 yards (7.8 YPC) and eight touchdowns. He also helped the passing game, catching 27 of 37 passes for 197 yards and three scores. All this despite being placed on injured reserve and missing six games last season.
I repeat: Achane missed six games as a rookie last season, while averaging an incredible 7.8 yards per carry. If our eyes aren’t misleading us, it appears like Achane has begun the process of growing larger, stronger, and perhaps more durable.
The biggest concern some fans may have about a bigger, stronger, and more powerful Achane is what will happen to his game-changing speed. I’m not an expert, but for a person as fast as Achane, I don’t think you’ll notice a significant decline in his playing speed. The dude is quick. And he will remain fast whether or not he gains 10-20 pounds. (Note: I’m guessing how much weight he gained like I’m at a baby shower, attempting to figure out how many M&Ms are in a jar).
It will be a few weeks before we see Achane and the new-look Dolphins take the field. But after re-watching what he did as a rookie and now seeing how much muscle he appears to have packed on this season, I don’t know how you can’t be ecstatic about what the second-year running back out of Texas A&M can bring to the table.
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