De'Von Achane Working Way Back in Dolphins Rotation

Dolphins likely will lean on rookie sensation De'Von Achane in his return from injured reserve, which likely will happen on Saturday if he doesn't suffer a setback

The last time De'Von Achane was on a football field he was the NFL's second-leading rusher despite only playing in four regular games.

Looks like the sensational rookie will get to pick up where he left off for the Miami Dolphins in Achane's return to the active roster, which is expected Saturday based on the mobility and speed he showcased in Wednesday's practice.

The way Achane has been moving the past couple of days, it seems as if the knee injury won't be much of a factor moving forward, which was Miami's theory behind placing him on injured reserve enough though his knee injury didn't require a surgical procedure.

"It was more a sprain type-injury that the thing that you do if you have to really minimize the time off the field, is in those situations with players, you throw a brace on their knee and have them go," coach Mike McDaniel said. "We just didn’t really envision him being one that would really flourish with a brace so we took the time to make sure that we can get structurally completely strong."

The former Texas A&M standout the Dolphins shelved for the past four weeks because of the injury he suffered in Miami's 31-16 win over the New York Giants, likely will be needed in the tailback rotation because of a left leg injury Raheem Mostert, the team's starter and leading rusher, appears to be nursing.

Mostert participated in Wednesday's practice, which isn't the norm for him because the 31-year-old has typically been given a veteran rest day for the first practice of the week and then returns to action on Thursdays. 

Before getting injured, Achane rushed for 101 and 151 yards in games against the Buffalo Bills and New York Giants after gaining 203 yards in the Week 3 blowout of the Denver Broncos.

Before being placed on injured reserve, his 460 rushing yards ranked second in the NFL behind San Francisco 49ers' Christian McCaffery, while his 12.1 yards per attempt leads the league among rushers with at least 10 carries.

Jeff Wilson Jr. and Salvon Ahmed are the two tailbacks behind Mostert and Achane on the depth chart, and both could receive elevated roles because of the injuries the top two backs are nursing.

Two receivers remain sidelined

Braxton Berrios and Chase Claypool haven't practiced with the Dolphins since the team returned from Germany and it's quite possible the Dolphins are giving both receivers time for their knee injuries to subside.

They could return to practice Thursday, which is Miami's heaviest work day of the week. But there's a possibility Berrios and Claypool could be shelved for a week or two because of their ailments. Neither watched Wednesday's practice, which likely means they were receiving treatment.

If Berrios, a slot receiver who is third on the team in targets (25), doesn't play in Sunday's game against the Las Vegas Raiders the Dolphins likely would replace him with River Cracraft, who was activated from injured reserve Tuesday.

Cracraft is a savvy veteran who knows all three receiver spots.

But the Dolphins would need to find someone to handle Berrios' kickoff and punt return roles. Cedrick Wilson will likely handle the punt returner role, something he did last season.

Also sitting out Wednesday's practice was tight end Durham Smythe (ankle), fullback Alex Ingold (foot), and guards Robert Hunt (hamstring) and Robert Jones (knee).

The Dolphins are holding auditions this week to determine who handles the starting left and right guard roles, with Lester Cotton viewed as the front-runner for one spot. Liam Eichenberg, offensive tackles Kendall Lamm and Kion Smith, and practice squad player Chase Hines are also in the mix, but he's nursing what appears to be a knee injury.