Yesterday, the Miami Dolphins made the difficult move of trading away star WR Jaylen Waddle to the Denver Broncos. Where he was in his career, turning 27 years old this season, Waddle did not fit the Dolphins timeline, so moving on from him made sense.
After the Waddle trade was completed, many speculated that star RB De’Von Achane would be next, but the opposite seems to be true.
Dolphins Shut Down Trade Interest in De’Von Achane Amid Rebuild
This offseason, the Dolphins have been working to get the rebuild started in the Dolphins. Recent pillars of the roster have been moved on, and the Dolphins’ free agency moves were more about improving depth than starting talent.
The one move that has really gone against that line of thinking is bringing in QB Malik Willis on a three-year, $67.5 million deal.
If Willis keeps up his success, which was seen from a limited sample size with the Green Bay Packers, the Dolphins will have a starting QB on its hands. The roster may not be good around him, but that would be the best-case scenario this season.
With the roster as it is, that is going to be difficult for Willis to do, but a great run game would significantly help.
Currently, the Dolphins have one of the best RBs in the NFL on their roster, Achane. In PFSN’s RB Impact Metric, Achane was ranked 5th overall last season, and that was in an offense that finished 26th in PFSN’s Offensive Impact Metric. Achane can keep an offense from being horrible, and at 24, he could be a long-term player for the Dolphins.
Besides going full tank mode, there are a few reasons the Dolphins would trade Achane, and it seems the Dolphins’ plan is to keep the star RB.
Sources: Teams that have called the Miami Dolphins to inquire about trading for Pro-Bowl RB De’Von Achane have been told that he is not available. pic.twitter.com/pP77NaG6a3
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 18, 2026
For good reason, teams around the league are very interested in Achane and believe he could be available after the Waddle trade.
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If the Dolphins were to consider a trade, the return of draft capital would be significant, as they already received a 1st-, 3rd-, and 4th-round pick for Waddle. This could be important for the rebuild, but again, so would Achane.
The difference Achane brings to any offense is too important to overlook. If he were on his second contract and the same age as Waddle, this would be a different conversation, but Achane should still have several seasons left at a high level. That is too important for the Dolphins’ rebuild.
