Miami Dolphins RB De’Von Achane looks bigger heading into second NFL season

Social media could not stop buzzing about how Miami Dolphins running back De’Von Achane looked as he arrived at the team’s facility in Miami Gardens. #Finsup

Monday marked the beginning of offseason workouts for teams with returning head coaches, which meant the official start of year three for Mike McDaniel and his Miami Dolphins.

Unfortunately, just because players returned to the facility to participate in the team’s offseason conditioning program does not mean we should refresh Twitter frantically, expecting a highlight of Tua Tagovailoa throwing a dot to Tyreek Hill to surface. The truth is the first few days, and even weeks, are always slow, with very little information to come about.

That said, one thing no one can stop Dolphins fans from doing is getting overly excited about some of the pictures the team posts of our favorite players arriving at the facilities. Newly signed tight end Jonnu Smith arriving in a Tesla Cybertruck was a sight to see. And let’s not pretend we all didn’t love seeing Tua smiling ear to ear, excited to get back into the lab.

However, what seemed to get the most attention on social media was how much bigger second-year running back De’Von Achane looked when arriving for offseason workouts. I’m talking a Charmander to Charmeleon like evolution, or as i said pre-draft, Kadabra to Alakazam .

During his rookie season, Achane put up video-game-like numbers, carrying the ball 103 times for 800 yards (7.8 YPC) and eight touchdowns. He also impacted the passing game, catching 27 of 37 balls for 197 yards and three touchdowns. All this despite being placed on injured reserve and missing six games a season ago.

I repeat: Achane missed six games as a rookie last season, despite averaging an insane 7.8 yards per carry. Now, if our eyes aren’t deceiving, it appears that Achane has taken the first steps to become bigger, stronger, and, hopefully, more durable.

The greatest concern some fans may have with a bigger, stronger, more powerful Achane is what may happen to that game-changing speed. I’m definitely not an expert, but for a guy as fast as Achane, I don’t know that you’ll really see a massive dropoff in his playing speed. The dude is fast. And he will still be fast whether or not he gained 10-20 pounds. (Note: I’m guessing how much weight he put on like I’m at a baby shower trying to figure out how many M&M’s are in a jar).

It will be a few weeks before we finally get to see Achane and the new-look Dolphins on the field. But after going back and 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 over-the-moon excited for what the second-year running back out of Texas A&M can bring to the table. #RunAchaneRun #CheckYourPulseIfYou’reNotFiredUp

What were your thoughts when you first saw how much bigger Achane looked? What are your expectations for the second-year player? Is 2024 the year he takes over the Miami Dolphins backfield? Let us know in the comments section below!