De'Von Achane trade destinations: Where Dolphins star could land amid teardown

Just when you thought the Miami Dolphins were done tearing this team apart, they’ve added yet another casualty to the long list of roster reductions. Jaylen Waddle is the latest Dolphin to land with a new team after the Denver Broncos made a deal for the speedster. Miami just threw a lot of money at Malik Willis so you have to think they’ll be done trimming and start putting weapons around him. But if they don’t, that could mean De’Von Achane is next. 

Achane has had a solid career with the Dolphins out of the backfield as both a runner and a receiver. He’ll absolutely be an asset to wherever he lands. These four teams could be on his radar – or vice versa – as the Dolphins continue to dive head first into this rebuild. 

Jacksonville Jaguars

This makes a lot of sense for a couple of reasons. The Jacksonville Jaguars need an upgrade at running back. They didn’t re-sign Travis Etienne and they traded Tank Bigsby to the Philadelphia Eagles last season. It would make sense for them to not only get Achane to bolster their running game, but to get another weapon for Trevor Lawrence. The fact that Achane is a solid receiver as a running back is exactly what the Jags need. 

Considering Jacksonville has entertained trading Brian Thomas Jr., if they do, they’ll need another weapon to improve this offense. Travis Hunter can still be a two-way player, but it looks like they’re going to primarily use him as a cornerback and sparingly as a receiver. No matter how good your passing offense is, if you can’t run the ball, you won’t win in the NFL. Jacksonville has the perfect candidate to replace their depleted running back room and it might not be too costly either. 

Carolina Panthers

I know Carolina likes Chuba Hubbard, but they have to consider a move for Achane if he becomes available. What Rico Dowdle provided this team when Hubbard was out is why they were able to reach the playoffs and come within one possession of winning a playoff game. They’ve done good in adding to this roster, adding Achane would take this team to the next level. 

Bryce Young made some massive improvements from his first three seasons. If they want him to continue to grow, they need to give him a security blanket like Achane. Not only would it be better for this run offense, but it would help improve the pass offense too. They still need better receivers, but adding Achane can only help this team as they look to get back to the playoffs. 

New Orleans Saints

This is a theme going around the NFC South. The whole division is depleted in the running back room. The New Orleans Saints could very much use Achane. They’re looking at adding Jeremiyah Love in the NFL Draft. That wouldn’t be a bad move, but if they wanted to use that pick for a bigger need, they could figure out their running back situation with Achane. As for now, it looks like Tyler Shough is their guy, which means they have to start building around him. Achane can be the next step for them. 

I will say, I don’t know if it’s worth what they’d have to give up to get him just because they do have a lot of pieces to put together. Achane would be worth it, but they’d also have to be strategic in how they handle the rest of the roster management.

Arizona Cardinals

Arizona has been reportedly interested in landing Jeremiyah Love in the NFL Draft. Like the New Orleans Saints, they have way too many other priorities outside of running back. They can’t possibly be willing to take that much of a gamble with a top five pick. That’s why trading for Achane could solve that issue for them. It makes sense for the Saints to consider Love closer to the top 10 pick. 

The Cardinals have a lot of restructuring to do after releasing Kyler Murray. They still need to figure out who their quarterback is and they still need to improve this defense. That said, they could address another need in the running back room with a proven asset. 

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