Miami Dolphins running back De’Von Achane listed his top 5 running backs in the NFL, while appearing on The Set with former Dolphins left tackle Terron Armstead.
Leading the list was the NFL’s rushing yard leader Jonathan Taylor, who’s firmly in MVP discussions. Achane opted to leave himself out of the list as he said “I’m not going to say nobody’s ever better than me, so I’m not going to put myself in it.
Regarding Taylor, Achane also added “He can win MVP. He keep doing what he’s doing right now, he can win MVP.”
How De’Von Achane Stacks Up
GettyDe’Von Achane
Despite not including himself in the list, Achane has made a case for being one of the top five running backs in the NFL. He’s third in the NFL with 1,034 rushing yards and third in yards per rushing attempt, as he’s gaining 5.6 yards per carry. His dual-threat ability also has him sixth in scrimmage yards.
The Dolphins running back has clearly leveled up as he’s already set a new career-high in rushing yards in a season, despite having fewer carries than he did in the 2024 season. His yards per carry have also gone up from 4.5 to 5.6. Prior to the year, Achane said that he’d felt “left a lot of plays out there.” So far, that hasn’t been the case for him. He’s on pace to finish with the second-best rushing season by a Miami Dolphins running back in franchise history.
Achane has been climbing the rushing yards leaderboard, as three of his four 100-yard performances have come in the last three weeks. The Dolphins have found success with him as they’re 4-0 in games where he totals 20 or more rushing attempts and 1-6 in games where he’s carried the ball 19 times or fewer.
Following the season, Achane will enter the final year of his rookie deal. He’ll be extension eligible this offseason, and after this breakout campaign it seems increasingly likely that the Dolphins would want to build around their speedster.
The Other Members of the List
Aside from Jonathan Taylor, who Achane had high praise for, the Dolphins running back also lauded Rico Dowdle. Dowdle played against Achane in Week 5 and had a breakout performance with 23 carries and 206 yards, replacing injured Chuba Hubbard. Dowdle has cooled off in recent weeks, but he still remains in the top 10 rushing leaders.
Despite Saquon Barkley being in a “funk”, Achane opted to include him in the list due to his 2024 accomplishments. He said anyone who’s capable of carrying a team like Barkley did, deserves to be on the list.
Some of the notable omissions from the list were Baltimore Ravens running back Derrick Henry and San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey. Regarding McCaffrey, Achane noted that he’s one of the primary running backs that he models his game after. In large part due to both of them sharing a similar skill set as receivers and playing in Shanahan-style offenses.
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