Jeff Hafley Jokes He’ll Have to Carry De’Von Achane Off the Field This Season
Jeff Hafley isn’t hiding how much he plans to lean on De’Von Achane this season. The first-year Dolphins head coach made that clear Monday during an appearance on the Rich Eisen Show, describing a conversation with his star running back that doubled as a warning about workload.
Hafley, who spent the previous two seasons as the Green Bay Packers’ offensive coordinator before Miami hired him, recounted telling Achane to get in shape because of how often the ball would find his hands this fall. He said there would be games where
Achane gets “so tired”
that Hafley may need to physically help him off the field. According to a clip posted on X by David Furones, a Dolphins beat reporter, on August 11, Hafley told Eisen he warned Achane he never wants to see him signal for a breather with a head tap all season.
Achane’s response, as Hafley told it, was direct: he wouldn’t need one. Hafley said he pushed back on that confidence, telling Achane that after somewhere in the neighborhood of 40 or so touches in a game, he’d need the help getting back to the sideline. The exchange, Hafley said, reflected more than just banter. He described Achane as a player whose personality and leadership are becoming more visible heading into his fourth NFL season.
Yahoo Sports independently carried the same remarks from the Rich Eisen appearance, corroborating the exchange as Hafley described it.
Why Miami is building around Achane
The workload promise isn’t just coach-speak. Achane earned it. He carried the ball 238 times for 1,350 yards and eight touchdowns last season, adding 67 catches for 488 yards and four more scores through the air. His 5.7 yards per carry led the NFL. Miami rewarded that production with a four-year contract extension in May, ending an offseason standoff that had kept Achane away from voluntary workouts while he waited on a new deal.
| Category | 2025 Stats |
|---|---|
| Carries | 238 |
| Rushing yards | 1,350 |
| Rushing touchdowns | 8 |
| Receptions | 67 |
| Receiving yards | 488 |
| Receiving touchdowns | 4 |
That production came despite Miami’s offense sputtering around him for stretches of 2025. With Tua Tagovailoa, Tyreek Hill, and Jaylen Waddle all gone from the roster under new general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan, Achane is now the clearest offensive weapon Miami has heading into Hafley’s first season as a head coach. New quarterback Malik Willis and offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik inherit an offense built to run through him.
What a heavier workload means
Hafley’s comments suggest Miami intends to make Achane the engine of the offense rather than a change-of-pace piece in a committee. That tracks with what Slowik has said previously about wanting to establish the run, and it puts pressure on Miami’s offensive line to hold up over a full season if Achane’s touches climb toward the high volume Hafley described.
It’s also worth separating the joke from the plan. Hafley wasn’t announcing a specific touch total as policy — the number was part of a bit, not a stated target. But the underlying point stands: Miami’s coaching staff sees no reason to manage Achane’s workload down, and they’re comfortable saying so publicly before the season starts.
Miami opens the season on the road against the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday, September 13, at 4:25 p.m. ET.
