The Miami Dolphins were already headed for a long, ugly season. Losing De'Von Achane may have pushed it into something even worse.
Achane is reportedly out for the rest of the year after tearing his ACL in the Week 3 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, a blow that strips the Dolphins of their best player and the one piece of their offense that could change a game on its own. Miami opened 2026 with three straight double-digit losses, and now the path forward looks even more barren.
That’s what makes this such a brutal development. Even with Achane on the field, the Dolphins have looked lifeless on offense.
They have not topped 13 points in any game, their leading rusher in each contest has been held to 74 yards or fewer, Malik Willis has not thrown for more than 220 yards in a game, and no receiver has posted a 100-yard outing. Achane was supposed to be the engine for a young, thin unit.
Without him, the margin for error disappears completely.
The talent drain on this roster has been obvious from the start, and Achane’s injury only sharpens it. Entering the season, there was already a strong case that Miami had assembled the worst collection of talent in the NFL. Now the roster is missing its most dangerous player, too.
The reason the Dolphins ended up in this spot is easy to trace. Financial strain wrecked their ability to build in the offseason, with dead money tied to the contracts of Tua Tagovailoa, Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle and other departed stars totaling $183 million.
That is the largest figure in NFL history. Miami devoted 60% of its salary cap space to dead money, a number no team had ever pushed past 45% before.
With so little flexibility, the Dolphins had to hunt for bargains in free agency and lean heavily on the draft, where they made an NFL-high 13 picks. The result is a roster that is the league’s least experienced, youngest and lightest on Pro Bowl talent.
Achane was the lone Pro Bowl selection on the team. Now he is gone.
The schedule hardly offers relief. Based on 2025 win totals, Miami drew the second-toughest schedule in the league, with an opponent win percentage of .054.
It’s still early, so those records have not fully settled, but the Dolphins still face the 11th-toughest remaining slate by this season’s win percentages. The Buffalo Bills are looming twice, and games against the Denver Broncos, Chicago Bears and Detroit Lions also stand out.
The first game without Achane looks dangerous right away. Miami goes to Minnesota in Week 4, and the Vikings lead the league in EPA per play allowed and quarterback pressure rate. That means Willis will be dealing with constant heat against Brian Flores’ blitz-heavy defense, and he will have to do it without the running back who gave this offense its best chance to stay afloat.
The Dolphins may not be favored in any game this season. They are likely to be multi-score underdogs in most of them, and they enter the Week 4 matchup as 10-point underdogs against Minnesota.
There are a few games that still look like Miami’s best shots at a win:
- Week 7 at the New York Jets
- Week 10 at the Indianapolis Colts
- Week 12 vs. the New York Jets
- Week 15 at the Green Bay Packers
- Week 16 vs. the Los Angeles Chargers
DraftKings still has the Dolphins’ season win total at 3.5, but getting there would require a near-perfect run through those chances or at least one upset against a stronger opponent. The Week 8 home game against the New England Patriots may be the best surprise opportunity, since New England has stumbled out of the gate as well.
Even reaching the projected total is a steep climb. Before Miami can think about three or four wins, it has to find one. Right now, even that feels far from certain.
In Other News...
Dolphins Fans Have Another Reason To Be Furious With Chiefs Officiating
A controversial no-call in the Chiefs-Dolphins game is adding more fuel to a grievance Miami fans already know well. On a recent tackle, a Kansas City defender was seen pulling on Malik Willis helmet, yet officials let the play stand without a flag, turning a routine snap into another flashpoint in a rivalry that seems to bring out every officiating complaint imaginable.
For Dolphins supporters, the frustration was immediate because the contact looked obvious enough to invite a penalty and the silence from the officials only deepened the suspicion. Plays like that tend to linger long after the game ends, especially when they feed the larger belief around the league that Kansas City gets the benefit of the doubt more often than most teams. [Read more 🡒]
Dolphins Suddenly Have A Good Problem Up Front
Through three weeks, Miami has managed to keep its run defense sturdy even without Kenneth Grant, who is on injured reserve and could be back after Week 4. The Dolphins have patched the interior with Jordan Phillips, Zeek Biggers and Keith Cooper Jr., while rookie linebacker Jacob Rodriguez and veteran Jordyn Brooks have helped keep the front seven organized and active against the run.
Grants return would give the Dolphins another option up front, but it also raises a real personnel question for a defense that has found a workable rhythm without him. His rookie season was uneven, and the bigger issue now is figuring out where he fits if the current group keeps holding its own once he is cleared to rejoin the rotation. [Read more 🡒]
Dolphins Fans Had Every Reason To Hate This Chiefs Break
When the Dolphins were trying to claw their way back into the game against Kansas City in Week 3, a roughing-the-passer call on Chop Robinson changed the feel of the moment in an instant. The hit on Patrick Mahomes extended the Chiefs drive, and Miami watched the sequence end with three points instead of a stop that could have helped shift momentum.
It was the sort of break that left Dolphins fans grinding their teeth, especially in a game Kansas City controlled from there. The Chiefs won 24-10, with Mahomes completing 20 of 24 passes for 246 yards and two touchdowns, and Miami was left to wonder how different things might have felt without one costly flag in a key spot. [Read more 🡒]