The Miami Dolphins are preparing to lean hard on De'Von Achane, and head coach Jeff Hafley isn’t trying to soften the message.
Hafley said Monday on “The Rich Eisen Show” that he warned the running back to be ready for a serious spike in responsibility. The coach said there could be games where he’d have to “pick him up and carry him back into the locker room because he's going to be so tired.”
That kind of usage could mean 40-45 touches in certain games, Hafley estimated. And he made it clear Achane didn’t blink when the plan was laid out.
“I told him, 'I don't ever want to see one of these head taps all year,' and he looked me right in the eye and said, 'You'll never get that head tap from me,'" Hafley recounted.
If Miami follows through, Achane would be pushed into territory the modern NFL rarely sees. No player has logged 45 touches in a game since Rudi Johnson in Week 10 of the 2003 season, and the last player to reach 40 touches was Derrick Henry in Week 2 of the 2021 campaign.
The 24-year-old already handled a big load last season, averaging 19.1 touches per game and piling up a career-high 305 touches over 16 contests. He also posted personal bests in rushing yards with 1,350, yards per carry at 5.7, and yards from scrimmage at 1,838 in 2025.
Hafley said he sees Achane as one of the league’s best backs and believes he still doesn’t get enough recognition.
“I think Achane is one of the top backs in the league and probably doesn't get as much credit as he deserves,” Hafley said.
The Dolphins locked him in with a four-year extension worth up to $68 million in May.
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