De’Von Achane averaged 7.5 yards per carry as a rookie while Raheem Mostert led the league with 18 rushing touchdowns
Five-time first-team All-Pro wide receiver Tyreek Hill powers the Miami Dolphins offense, but don’t forget that Mike McDaniel served as run game coordinator with the San Francisco 49ers before taking over as head coach in South Florida.
Miami’s running backs thrived in McDaniel’s system, starting with Raheem Mostert, who led the league with 18 rushing touchdowns while averaging 4.8 yards per carry on over 200 attempts. Meanwhile, third-round rookie De’Von Achane averaged over seven yards per carry and closed his first season with 11 total touchdowns in 11 games, with two or fewer touches in two of those games.
Ahead of the 2024 league year beginning in March, PFF listed its highest-graded running backs from last season, with Ach’ane taking the top spot with a grade of 92.1.
“Achane didn’t see the volume of some of the other top running backs, but his efficiency was unmatched,” wrote PFF’s Gordon McGuiness. “He averaged 7.5 yards per carry, including 4.9 after contact, and forced 30 missed tackles on 108 rushing attempts.”
Volume was why Achane wasn’t considered in the running for offensive player of the year, an award won by Christian McCaffrey, who averaged 5.2 yards on 331 carries. McCaffrey, with a PFF grade of 90.3, and Mostert scored 21 total touchdowns.
Mostert closed the year with an 86.3 grade, which ranked fifth behind Derrick Henry (90.2) and James Connor (89.2). PFF credited his ability to run free in the second level, noting that he ended the regular season tied for fourth with 30 carries of at least 10 yards.
Given the constraints of limited salary cap space and few draft picks, next season’s strategy may feature Mostert and Achane seeing increased playing time together on the field. It’s worth noting that despite Hill and his running mate Jaylen Waddle leading the show, the Dolphins ranked fifth in running back targets last season.