The debate over De’Von Achane got a little louder this week, and Dolphins fans finally had a reason to smile.
ESPN’s 2026 running back rankings stirred the pot by placing Miami’s top back at No. 8.
The list was built from input from NFL executives, coaches and scouts, not just Jeremy Fowler’s personal view, but that didn’t make the reaction any softer in Miami. Plenty of Dolphins fans see Achane as a top-five back already, so the No. 8 slot felt light.
Then Pro Football Focus stepped in with a very different take.
PFF slotted Achane at No. 5 in its 2026 running back rankings, which lines up much more closely with how many Dolphins supporters view him. The outlet also described him as "one of the fastest players in the NFL." For a player who has been Miami’s best performer over the past two seasons, that placement lands with a lot more weight.
The contrast between ESPN and PFF is striking. Both outlets put Bijan Robinson at No.
1, Jahmyr Gibbs at No. 2 and Christian McCaffrey at No. 4.
After that, the boards split hard. ESPN had Saquon Barkley at No. 3 and Jonathan Taylor at No. 5, with Derrick Henry and James Cook following.
PFF flipped several of those names around, putting Henry at No. 3, Cook at No.
6, Taylor at No. 7 and Barkley all the way down at No. 8.
That’s where the Achane placement becomes the real talking point. PFF had him ahead of Cook, and that part feels easy to defend. ESPN’s ranking of Achane behind Cook and Henry is the one that rubbed a lot of Miami fans the wrong way, especially with Henry still producing at an elite level despite being on the wrong side of 30.
There’s also a bigger question hanging over the Dolphins backfield now. Achane was used heavily in Mike McDaniel’s offense, and his workload was listed at over 19 touches on average in 2025. With new head coach Jeff Hafley now in charge and Malik Willis in the mix as a dual-threat quarterback, that kind of volume might not stay the same.
PFF’s rankings have a more fan-friendly, fantasy-style feel to them than ESPN’s, which read more like a coach-and-scout exercise. And after ESPN labeled Miami the worst roster for the coming season, Dolphins fans were more than ready to embrace the outlet that gave Achane the better spot.
Now the only thing left is for Achane to back up the ranking - and the new contract - on the field.
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