For all of De’Von Achane’s track-level speed and highlight runs, the Dolphins’ current transition has shifted the conversation to what he provides when the cameras aren’t rolling. With questions lingering around the roster’s direction and speculation beginning to circle key veterans, rookie quarterback Quinn Ewers offered a candid perspective on what Achane actually means inside the building

“I mean, De’Von Achane, he is sick, just super talented. In the locker room, just chill, guy,” Ewers said on Thursday. “Will get along with anybody, which you can appreciate that out of a big-time player…Coming out of the backfield, you like getting them on screens, the little choice routes. It’s the best. It’s the quarterback’s best friend.”

It’s not hard to understand why Ewers calls him “sick.” Achane entered the league with verified speed. His 4.32-second 40-yard dash from the 2023 pre-draft process raised eyebrows at the Combine.

In his rookie season, he earned AFC Offensive Player of the Week honors after Miami dismantled Denver 70–20. This was Achane’s second-ever NFL appearance, and he rushed for 203 yards and four total touchdowns. That afternoon did more than fill a stat sheet, it instantly shifted how veterans and coaches viewed him. Production is the fastest way to earn credibility in an NFL locker room, and a 200-yard eruption in September of your rookie year carries weight. The league reinforced it three days later when he was officially named AFC Offensive Player of the Week, validating internally what teammates had just witnessed. Though he never crossed that 200-yard mark again, his production has been consistent across various dimensions.

Last year, the RB produced a career-best 1,350 rushing yards. His numbers were fifth-highest in the league, but more importantly, miles ahead of any other running back for the franchise. The closest running back behind him, Jaylen Wright, managed just 288 yards and two touchdowns. But Achane’s contributions go beyond rushing.

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Over his three seasons, the player remained heavily involved as a receiver, recording 197, 592, and 488 receiving yards in each respective year, totaling 172 receptions and 13 receiving touchdowns for his career. That dual-threat usage, lining up wide, motioning out of the backfield, handling option routes underneath, forces defenses to declare their coverage early, simplifying reads for a young quarterback. It’s a structural advantage in the playbook, not just an athletic one.

That versatility is exactly what Ewers meant by “quarterback’s best friend.” This brings in options of screens, choice routes, and easy outlets that turn into chunk plays. But the numbers are only part of it. Inside the locker room, Achane’s leadership and approach have drawn consistent praise.

“I think [Achane] feels like his teammates are a part of his journey and his development,” former Miami head coach Mike McDaniel noted last year. “I think he has higher expectations…his teammates feel like part of his journey, and he knows they are. It’s cool to watch guys grow into something they’re capable of. He’s a big part of our program, and we’re very happy that he’s seized the opportunity and been the leader and consistent playmaker that he has been.”

That tone has shown up publicly at key moments. When outside criticism labeled the Dolphins’ internal meetings as signs of dysfunction, Achane pushed back, saying the conversations “actually brung us together” and that outside noise simply made the team “lock in.” Rather than deflecting or distancing himself, he reframed the narrative, reinforcing unity at a time when locker rooms can fracture. Teammates tend to notice who absorbs noise and who amplifies it.

Still, there’s one playful caveat in all the praise.

Achane is an Aggie, and Ewers isn’t a fan, it would seem.

“He’s an Aggie, man,” Ewers further added. “That’s the only issue, you know? We bash heads a little bit on that conflict, but, you know, it’s all good. We’re teammates now.”

Achane spent three seasons at Texas A&M from 2020 to 2022, rushing for 2,376 yards and 21 touchdowns on 369 carries while adding 554 receiving yards and five receiving scores.

Ewers, meanwhile, began at Ohio State before transferring to Texas, where he went 27-9 as a starter, throwing for 9,128 yards and 68 touchdowns.

They never faced each other in college. But that almost doesn’t matter. The Texas–Texas A&M rivalry isn’t about head-to-head matchups alone; it’s generational. It divides families. Let’s refer back to the Lone Star Showdown, which began in 1894.

Texas dominated long stretches of the early series, though A&M answered with its own runs, including a six-game winning streak from 1984 to 1994, before the rivalry halted after 2011 when the Aggies left for the SEC. It finally returned in 2024, with Ewers starting for Texas in a 17–7 win at Kyle Field, throwing for 218 yards and a touchdown. By then, Achane was already in the NFL, but the cultural edge of that matchup never really faded.

Now that both Ewers and Achane share a locker room, the rivalry is reduced to jokes and light debates. Ewers himself admitted before the rivalry’s 2024 renewal that he grew up hearing from family how significant the A&M game was, even bigger, in his father’s view, than the Red River rivalry. That background adds texture to the lighthearted jabs now exchanged inside Miami’s facility.

But whether they’ll continue sharing that room in 2026 remains uncertain, as De’Von Achane’s name has surfaced in trade speculation.

Final year of De’Von Achane’s rookie contract ignites trade speculation

The Dolphins are operating under a new regime, with a new head coach and general manager already in place. They’ve moved quickly, releasing Tyreek Hill and Bradley Chubb in recent days. Now, as the transition continues, more decisions are expected. Nothing is finalized, but De’Von Achane’s name has surfaced in trade speculation.

The Chiefs, Texans, and Vikings have all surfaced as speculative fits, according to ESPN. Yet the chances of a trade may not be high, with the likelihood of an actual move at just 10 percent. With one more year remaining on his deal at roughly $5.9 million, there is some solace, but the franchise GM is listening to offers.

GM Jon-Eric Sullivan told reporters at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis that Miami is listening to trade calls on safety Minkah Fitzpatrick. League chatter suggests Achane has also drawn interest this offseason. Sullivan indicated he wants Achane to remain, but if an offer comes in, Miami would evaluate it.

“The league seems to believe the Dolphins are in a full rebuild, which means they’re getting calls on all of their star players,” ESPN’s Dan Graziano noted. “My sense is that they’re far more likely to extend Achane’s contract than to listen to those trade offers, but in their situation, you answer the phone when it rings. So, call any Achane trade a significant long shot that would take an awfully enticing package to get done.”

Achane enters the 2026 offseason coming off career-best production. His résumé now includes a breakout 200-yard game, league recognition, high-volume dual-threat usage, public defense of locker-room unity, and visible energy that shows up in mic’d-up clips and sideline interactions. Those layers, performance, communication, and resilience through injuries, explain why teammates like Ewers speak the way they do.

With a new regime settling in, a move doesn’t appear imminent. Still, given the broader reset and the volume of calls, it’s fair to say the 24-year-old running back isn’t entirely untouchable.