Watch: Rookie RB De’Von Achane makes Miami Dolphins debut vs. Atlanta Falcons

The Miami Dolphins may have lost 19-3 to the Atlanta Falcons on Friday, but it wasn’t all bad at Hard Rock Stadium. Several players made game-changing plays and showed enough promise to keep an eye on moving forward.

For example, rookie cornerback Cam Smith made a few pass breakups and big-time tackles in the backfield. It wouldn’t be surprising to see him push to be the starter opposite of Xavien Howard while Jalen Ramsey is out. Isaiah Wynn also played respectably at left guard — Robert Jones had his moments at right guard, too. Many others are worth talking about as well.

But the player many Dolphins fans — and fantasy football diehards — were keeping an eye on the most in Friday’s game was third-round running back De’Von Achane, especially with Raheem Mostert sitting out week one of the preseason.

Here’s a look at everything De’Von Achane did vs. the Atlanta Falcons.

Achane touched the ball 15 times if you include the kickoff to start the game. And although he only averaged 2.5 yards per carry, you could see his unique speed and especially his ability to impact the passing game on full display. But what was most interesting is it seemed like Miami wanted to see what Achane could do between the tackles, and while the stats weren’t that godly, he proved he could do it all as a running back.

The 84th-overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft talked about what it was like playing in an NFL game and getting out some of the pre-game jitters.

“It was fun. I was just out there enjoying myself. I feel like it’s more games to come. It’s the first preseason game, so I got all the jitters out, all the nerves out so I’m just ready for Houston.”

Achane continued:

“I feel like every game I’m just nervous. It just takes for me to get tackled for all the nerves to go away. It’s just natural though. If you’re not nervous, that means you’re not ready.”

After Miami’s alleged pursuit of Dalvin Cook, it will be interesting to see if De’Von Achane and the rest of Miami’s running back room have impressed enough to prevent the team from making a splash signing. Even Chris Brooks looked decisive and ran like a bully on Friday, so could he potentially make the roster (more likely practice squad)?

Myles Gaskin looked awesome in limited reps, but one would assume Salvon Ahmed has the advantage. It will be interesting to see how the running back room plays out. But one thing is for sure; if De’Von Achane can build on what he did on Friday — the Dolphins could finally have a young, game-changing running back.

What are your thoughts on the Miami Dolphins running back room? Did you like what you saw out of De’Von Achane? What about Chris Brooks? How many running backs would you keep on the 53-man roster? Let us know in the comments section below!