De’Von Achane ‘highly motivated’ to play vs. Steelers, says Mike McDaniel

Miami Dolphins running back De’Von Achane left the team’s win over the New York Jets in Week 14, but it appears he has a good chance to play in Week 15 against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

According to Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel, Achane is “highly motivated” to play in the Dolphins’ Monday Night Football clash with the Steelers in Week 15. McDaniel also said that Achane told him he could have gone back in during Sunday’s game if needed.

“McDaniel said just now that only treatment and rest are needed for Achane,” wrote Barry Jackson on X. “He’s highly motivated to play Monday, McDaniel said. Achane told McDaniel he was uncomfortable Sunday but feeling better today. Achane told McDaniel he could have gone back in game vs Jets if needed. He had MRI.”

That’s great news for the Dolphins, as Achane has been arguably their best offensive weapon in the 2025 season.

Miami is still alive to make the playoffs in the AFC, and McDaniel’s club has won four games in a row to improve to 6-7 in the 2025 campaign.

So, Monday’s game against the Steelers is a massive one if Miami wants to stay in the mix for a playoff spot. The Steelers are just 7-6 this season, but they lead the AFC North entering Week 15. Even with that being the case, there’s a chance that Miami ends up competing with the Steelers for a wild card spot down the stretch of the season, adding importance to Monday’s clash.

Before exiting on Sunday against the Jets, Achane had seven carries for 92 yards and a touchdown as well as one reception for 13 yards. The star running back is up to 1,126 rushing yards this season while averaging 5.8 yards per carry.

Achane has found the end zone seven times on the ground and four times through the air, and he’s an elite dual-threat option out of the backfield. In 13 games, Achane has 55 receptions (on 73 targets) for 383 yards. Clearly, having him available on Monday would be a major boost for the Miami offense.

Ollie Gordon II (five carries, 17 rushing yards and one touchdown in Week 14) and Jaylen Wright (24 carries, 107 rushing yards and one touchdown in Week 14) would be next in line for touches if Achane were to sit.

Achane appeared in all 17 games (16 starts) for the Dolphins last season and has yet to miss a game this season. Unless his injury worsens throughout the week, it’s hard to see the star running back missing such an important game.