De'Von Achane’s injury shifts the spotlight in Miami, and it doesn’t land on the backup running backs first. It lands on the tight ends.
The Dolphins will now lean on Jaylen Wright, Ollie Gordon II, and Carlos Washington Jr., but the bigger issue is how much more work the tight end group has to absorb without Achane. He was the kind of back who could turn a tiny crease into a 10-yard gain. That threat is gone, which means off-tackle runs now depend on tighter blocking and wider openings than before.
Where Miami can really help itself is in the passing game. A 2-TE look gives the Dolphins another body in protection, another blocker on the edge, and a more flexible answer against a defense that wants to heat up the quarterback. Against the Vikings, that matters even more.
Brian Flores is expected to bring pressure, press Miami’s young receivers at the line, and make them win their routes quickly. At the same time, the defense can keep shifting pieces around the front - linebackers, edge rushers, and linemen moving on nearly every snap, with a safety dropping into the box before rotating back out. That leaves Malik Willis with only a couple seconds to make a decision.
That’s where Greg Dulcich and Will Kacmarek come in. Tight end screens could be one of Miami’s best answers. If those two can slip out, find space, and give Willis a clean outlet, the Dolphins can force Flores to adjust instead of dictating everything from the snap.
Dulcich already showed some juice in Week 3, when Miami hit him five times for 55 yards. He needs to see more of that kind of involvement.
The receiver room also looks thin. Caleb Douglas is trending toward another scratch, which puts more on Chris Bell, Malik Washington, and Kevin Coleman Jr. Willis will want to push the ball to them, but he has to stay patient while the pressure builds around him.
That’s why the tight ends have to be the release valve. A 2-TE set can buy time, help the run game, and still create a passing look that hides where the ball is going. Used the right way, it can also force the Vikings’ linebackers into a “stay-at-home” role and close off one of the pass-rush lanes Flores likes to attack.
Dulcich and Kacmarek need to work with patience, too. This isn’t about a tight end suddenly winning deep. It’s about steady, short routes - four- or five-yard outs, underneath answers, delayed releases - and keeping the Vikings from pinning their ears back on the edge.
In the end, though, it all comes back to Willis. He can’t rush it, can’t get flustered, and has to be precise with every throw.
Against a defense built to pressure him, each snap matters. One mistake, and the Vikings can take over fast.
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