Dolphins’ Achane being evaluated for knee injury
MIAMI GARDENS — De’Von Achane appears to have hit the first speed bump in an otherwise stellar rookie season, with Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel saying Monday that his leading rusher is being evaluated for a knee injury.
McDaniel would not speculate on the severity of the injury or how long — if at all — Achane might be out of action.
“He thought that he might have something but he’s such a tough kid,” McDaniel said. “It was kind of tough to read. So we needed to evaluate more and that’s what we’re doing today.”
Achane rushed for 151 yards including a 76-yard touchdown in Sunday’s 31-16 victory over the New York Giants. He averaged 13.7 yards per carry.
For what it’s worth, after the game, Achane spoke at length at his locker in upbeat tones, never indicating there was an issue. In fact, he even joked about teasing receiver Tyreek Hill for getting caught from behind on a wouldbe touchdown, unlike Achane, who did go all the way.
“First of all, why’d you get caught?” Achane wanted to know from Hill. “Twenty-two (MPH), but you got caught? It doesn’t matter.”
After a quiet start to the season, Achane has turned in rushing performances of 203, 101 and 151 yards in consecutive weeks. He is only the fourth rookie in team history with three 100yard rushing performances. He also was named AFC offensive player of the week for his 203-yard game against Denver.
Achane is second in the NFL with 460 yards, trailing only San Francisco’s Christian McCaffrey, who has 510. Among ballcarriers with at least 10 attempts, Achane’s 12.1 per-carry average dwarfs that of two players tied for second place at 7.3.
McDaniel was vague when asked if Achane is undergoing an MRI. When asked if he could exclude a worst-case scenario, he said, “I just don’t know. I literally don’t spend any time forecasting either way. It’s just because we’re getting more information. But I find it trivial to say to even forecast until you get all the information so I really don’t know.”
Cornerback Jalen Ramsey ‘on positive side’ in rehab
Star cornerback Jalen Ramsey, who hasn’t made his Dolphins debut because of a preseason meniscus injury, appears to be progressing well in his rehabilitation, although there is no timetable on when he might begin practicing.
“He’s doing a great job,” McDaniel said. “He’s a special breed. And he is on the positive side of return, for sure.”
OL Isaiah Wynn appears to be OK
McDaniel was upbeat on the prognosis for offensive lineman Isaiah Winn, who left the Giants game with a neck injury.
“He’s doing good,” McDaniel said. “He’s tough dude. I don’t expect anything holding him back but we’ll get into some more information in about 24 hours.”
Cedrick Wilson sees extensive time, earns praise
Receiver Cedrick Wilson, who had been inactive for two games and had just one catch before Sunday, enjoyed his busiest day of the season with four catches for 52 yards. He played 29 snaps — 54 percent of the offensive plays.
“We were planning on having him having more opportunities,” McDaniel said. “He has been playing very, very well in practice and then really in the game, he made a ton of plays in the pass game and there’s even more in the run game he did. We asked him to do some heavy lifting, with some point-of-attack blocks on the perimeter, and he executed it. … His imprint on the game was very positively felt by all of his teammates.”
McDaniel still wary of 0-5 Carolina Panthers
After enduring a 2022 season in which the Dolphins won five games in a row and also lost five straight, McDaniel is taking no chances with the winless Carolina Panthers, who visit Hard Rock Stadium on Sunday.