De'Von Achane Injury 2026: Sources Say Torn ACL Ends His Season

Miami Dolphins running back De'Von Achane suffered a torn ACL in Sunday's 24-10 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs and will miss the rest of the 2026 season, sources told ESPN's Adam Schefter and NFL Network's Ian Rapoport on Monday, Sept. 28. The Dolphins placed him on injured reserve the same day. The De'Von Achane injury lands on a team that is already 0-3 and just lost the only Pro Bowler on its roster, per CBS Sports.

De'Von Achane injury 2026: what happened against the Chiefs

Achane went down on his third rushing attempt of the game on Sunday, Sept. 27, when he was tackled awkwardly by Chiefs safety Alohi Gilman, per ESPN's Marcel Louis-Jacques. He was slow to leave the field and was escorted to the blue medical tent under his own power. After a few minutes he was taken to the locker room for more testing and was ruled out in the second half.

Coach Jeff Hafley spoke Monday. "My heart breaks for him but at the same time, I know that he'll be back and he'll be back strong," Hafley said. The torn ACL diagnosis comes from sources, not a team medical statement, but the injured reserve move is official, and ESPN's report says he will be out for the rest of the 2026 season. It is the first major injury of his career, per ESPN.

The numbers behind the loss

ESPN calls Achane the focal point of the Dolphins' offense, and its numbers back that up:

1. He was coming off the best season of his career in 2025, with 1,838 yards from scrimmage, 12 total touchdowns and his first Pro Bowl nod. 2. Since his rookie season he ranks 12th in the NFL in scrimmage yards (4,510) and 13th in scrimmage touchdowns (35). His six yards per touch is sixth among running backs in that span. 3. He has touched the ball 627 times since 2024. No other current Dolphins player has more than 150 in that span. 4. He is already seventh in franchise history in rushing yards with 3,184, after just three seasons.

This year had started slowly. Achane rushed for 127 yards on 34 carries in three games, about 3.7 yards per carry, and CBS Sports notes Miami has yet to score more than 13 points in any game.

The money matters too. Achane signed a four-year, $64 million contract this offseason, and he is considered a "pillar" of the rebuilding Dolphins, according to general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan, per ESPN. CBS reports the franchise is carrying $183 million in dead money, which leaves little room to buy a replacement.

Who replaces De'Von Achane

Ollie Gordon II was the only other active running back on Sunday. He finished with 41 rushing yards and a touchdown on 17 carries, plus three catches for 14 yards, per ESPN. Gordon was a sixth-round pick last season and rushed for 199 yards and three touchdowns as a rookie.

Jaylen Wright was inactive with a stinger. Miami traded a 2025 third-round pick to draft him in the fourth round in 2024, and he has 547 career rushing yards and two touchdowns. Jarquez Hunter is on the practice squad. Wide receiver Malik Washington also took snaps at running back after Achane went down, and Hafley said the game-day roster was built that way on purpose because of the staff's confidence in Washington.

Hafley said he has "full confidence" in the backs on the roster. "I have a lot of confidence in these backs, so this isn't like we can't run the ball anymore," he said Monday. He added that he and Sullivan will discuss over the next few days whether to add another running back.

Betting and fantasy impact

The Week 4 market has moved hard against Miami. ESPN's odds feed, which lists DraftKings as its provider, showed the following for Dolphins at Minnesota Vikings when we checked at 7:37 a.m. ET on Tuesday, Sept. 29:

Spread: Vikings -10.5, after opening at -7.5.

Moneyline: Dolphins +525, Vikings -750. Miami opened at +310.

Total: 38.5 (over -115, under -105), down from a 43.5 open.

That is a 3-point move on the spread and a 5-point drop in the total. The feed does not timestamp the moves, so we can't pin them on the Achane news rather than the 24-10 result or ordinary market correction. At +525 the Dolphins are priced at roughly 16.0% implied before the vig is removed.

For the season, CBS Sports reported Monday that DraftKings still lists Miami's win total at 3.5. CBS also noted Minnesota leads the league in EPA per play allowed and quarterback pressure rate, which is a rough first test without Achane.

In fantasy, Gordon is the obvious add if you need a running back, since he took 17 carries as the lone active back on Sunday. Wright's stinger and a possible outside signing both cap his outlook, so treat it as a volume play on a low-scoring offense rather than a breakout. Check the AI sports picks board and the daily NFL picks before Sunday, or ask Chad about Dolphins backfield props once books post them.

What to watch next

Here is the near-term calendar, per ESPN's Dolphins schedule:

Week 4: at Minnesota Vikings, Sunday, Oct. 4, 4:05 p.m. ET, U.S. Bank Stadium

Week 5: vs. Cincinnati Bengals, Sunday, Oct. 11, 1 p.m. ET

Week 7: at New York Jets, Sunday, Oct. 25 (no Week 6 game is listed)

The first decision point is whether Hafley and Sullivan add a running back this week. After that, watch Wright's stinger on the practice report and how the carries split between Gordon and Wright in Minnesota. Longer term, watch for a surgery date. This is the same weekend the Giants' Brian Burns is believed to have torn his ACL, per ESPN

FAQ

What is De'Von Achane's injury? Achane suffered a torn ACL in the Dolphins' 24-10 loss to the Chiefs on Sept. 27, 2026, sources told ESPN's Adam Schefter and NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. The Dolphins placed him on injured reserve on Sept. 28.

Is De'Von Achane out for the season? Yes, per ESPN's sources he will miss the rest of the 2026 season. Coach Jeff Hafley said Monday he expects Achane to "be back strong," but no surgery date or return timeline has been reported.

How did De'Von Achane get hurt? He was injured on his third rushing attempt of the game when Chiefs safety Alohi Gilman tackled him awkwardly. He went to the medical tent under his own power, then the locker room for testing, and was ruled out in the second half.

Who replaces De'Von Achane for the Dolphins? Ollie Gordon II was the only other active back Sunday and ran 17 times for 41 yards and a touchdown. Jaylen Wright was inactive with a stinger, and Hafley said the team will discuss adding another running back.

Chad AI tracks every Dolphins line and backfield prop move through the season inside the StatSniper app.

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