Shortly after the Miami Dolphins fell to 0-3 on the season via a 24-10 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday, first-year Dolphins head coach Jeff Hafley acknowledged that he was not “optimistic” about the knee injury that star running back De’Von Achane suffered during the game.
The seriousness of that setback was learned on Monday morning.
Expected De’Von Achane injury news confirmed
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter and Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, Achane suffered a torn ACL in Sunday’s loss and will be out for the remainder of the season. It’s a brutal blow for a Dolphins team that signed Achane to a four-year, $64M contract extension this past spring and then wanted him to touch the football “40, 45 times” per game.
Per ESPN, Achane ended Sunday leading the 2026 Dolphins with 34 carries and 127 rushing yards for the season. Meanwhile, quarterback Malik Willis is second on the team with 101 yards on the ground.
Nobody else on the Miami roster accumulated a total of 50 rushing yards over the campaign’s first three weeks.
Dolphins may have lost whatever hope they had left
In early September, Dolphins linebacker Jordyn Brooks insisted that he and his teammates were embracing an “us against the world” mentality after multiple analysts and reporters suggested via their campaign previews that Miami was basically punting on this season with the 2027 NFL Draft in mind. While the Dolphins signed Willis to a three-year, $67.5M contract with $45M of the deal fully guaranteed back in March, he has not yet shown that he can consistently elevate those around him.
Specifically, ESPN stats show that Willis began Monday ranked 27th out of 30 qualified passers with a 40.2 adjusted QBR on the season. Over the campaign’s first three weeks, he tossed one touchdown pass and a pair of interceptions.
Things will get no easier for the winless Dolphins at the start of next month, as they have to play at the 3-0 Minnesota Vikings on Oct. 4. As of Monday morning, DraftKings Sportsbook had Miami as a massive 10-point underdog for that Week 4 clash.