In their Week 1 game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, the Dolphins’ leading rusher was Jeff Wilson Jr., who carried the ball five times for 26 yards. While Achane was inefficient as a runner, most of his impact came from his play as a pass-catcher. The speedster tallied seven receptions on seven targets for 76 yards.
The Dolphins’ electric ground game catapulted them to success in 2023. Mostert and Achane combined for more than 1,800 yards rushing and 26 touchdowns.
Who will be the Dolphins’ starting RB if De’Von Achane, Raheem Mostert are out?
At halftime, Tua Tagovailoa made an impactful speech to his Dolphins teammates. Head coach Mike McDaniel spoke of its utility in firing up the locker room in a post-game press conference via Marcel Louis-Jacques’ X account, a Dolphins reporter from ESPN.
“I was really pumped to hear him constructively lead,” McDaniel said. “It wasn’t ‘let’s win’ or ‘let’s make plays’. It was ‘let’s adhere to our standard’, which is what a captain and a franchisee, a franchise quarterback have to be that voice to echo. So it was cool to have him beat me to the punch of something that if he wouldn’t have said I probably would have.”
Mike McDaniel on Tua’s fiery halftime speech: “It was a cool moment because it was genuine and wasn’t anything but constructive … It was cool to have him beat me to the punch.”
Mike McDaniel on Tua’s fiery halftime speech:
“It was a cool moment because it was genuine and wasn’t anything but constructive … It was cool to have him beat me to the punch.” pic.twitter.com/4wcFNjNsm3
— Marcel Louis-Jacques (@Marcel_LJ) September 8, 2024
What the Dolphins need on the field is something entirely different, or perhaps someone.
Jaylen Wright did not play in Week 1, not because of an injury, but his absence was officially noted as a “coach’s decision.” There may be some internal issue or concern keeping him off the field. But if one or both of Achane and Mostert are unable to play, McDaniel may be forced to get the fourth-round rookie out of the University of Tennessee involved.
Earlier in the preseason, McDaniel alluded to preferring a hand-hot approach to the backfield as per the Coachspeak Index.
“Just to get everybody involved is important for me, and then letting the game take its course on whose competitive edge we’re gonna lean on the most. It doesn’t take long in a take to give a guy a couple carries here, and then the next guy gets a couple carries,” McDaniel said. “You feel like, ‘OK, this dude, it’s one of his days. We better lean on this guy and give him more.’”
We’ll learn more about Achane and Mostert’s playing status throughout the week.
