Earlier this offseason, after a very quiet start, the Denver Broncos swung for the fences and traded for Jaylen Waddle, taking advantage of the Miami Dolphins being in the most obvious rebuild of all-time.
The Broncos, while parting with expensive NFL Draft capital, did also get an obvious needle-mover on offense and a wide receiver who fits into the room perfectly. Now, on paper, Denver's offense might be as talented a unit as we have seen since the prime Peyton Manning years during that three-years stretch from 2012-2014.
But the work might not be done yet. The Broncos are in a clear-cut Super Bowl window and may have won it all had Bo Nix not gotten hurt. Furthermore, franchise legend Aqib Talib again teased another major move. Given that Talib was right on the money with the Waddle move, his words suddenly carry weight. The Broncos were also just named a landing spot for another Dolphins weapon who could fit this 'major move.' threshold.
Denver Broncos listed as a landing spot for Dolphins' RB De'Von Achane
Gary Davenport, for Bleacher Report, talked about this further:
"It has been a fire sale in Miami this offseason.
Wide receiver Jaylen Waddle was traded to Denver. Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa and edge-rusher Bradley Chubb were moved as well, with the latter carrying a record dead-cap hit. And with the Dolphins seemingly tearing the team down to the studs, some have speculated that running back De'Von Achane could also be available.
However, Dolphins general manager Jon Eric-Sullivan told reporters Miami has no intention of dealing the 24-year-old, who had a career-high 1,350 yards on the ground in 2025.
"There is zero effort on my end to move Achane," Sullivan said.
Sullivan said he is working on an extension for the 2023 third-rounder, but when voluntary workouts started in Miami, Achane was unsurprisingly absent.
PFT's Mike Florio wrote that while Miami may have received offers for the electrifying young back, none have come close to tempting the team:
"I think when the team says he's not available, what they mean is they're not going to trade him for any of the offers they've received. This is the time of year when offers circulate for many players who ultimately aren't traded. General managers talk constantly, so they've surely seen offers for De'Von Achane, but none have been strong enough. Based on what they've received so far, they're not making a move."
Frankly, the offers that are being projected by some are underwhelming, even with the Texas A&M product about to sign an extension that should average at least $15 million per season.
If a team comes to the Dolphins with a beefier offer, though, Sullivan would likely reconsider his stance on Achane."
The blurb that he has from Mike Florio does carry some weight here. Typically, when a General Manager says that they won't trade a player, it's usually because no team has ponied up a strong enough offer, and this could be the case with De'Von Achane, one of the more electric running backs in the NFL.
He's finished up his third year and is eligible for an extension. Any team that does swing a trade for him would have to give him top-dollar at the running back position, as noted in the excerpt above. And seeing as the Broncos did just do some major business with the Dolphins, there is reason to believe that if they were committed to adding Achane, they could make the move.
Achane, just 24, ran for a career-high 1,350 yards in 2025 for Miami, while also adding 67 receptions for 488 yards. He's a true dual-threat running back who has amassed 4,334 scrimmage yards and 35 touchdowns across his three years thus far, which comes out to 1,675 yards and 14 touchdowns per 17-game season.
His production is off the charts, and perhaps most importantly, he's averaged a whopping 5.6 yards per carry, leading the NFL with 5.7 yards per carry in 2025. He's also played in all but one game the past two seasons after suiting up for only 11 during his rookie season.
There really isn't anything to dislike with Achane - he's an elite weapon, can eat up a metric ton of yards on offense, and fits that dual-threat running back mold that head coach Sean Payton has coveted.
A trade, though, from the Broncos side of things, might be difficult. RJ Harvey would surely be included in any package, as Harvey isn't close to the player Achane is, but their skillsets do overlap a bit.
The Broncos would likely have to fork over Harvey, pick 62, and perhaps even 2027 NFL Draft capital for Achane, who would then likely sign a multi-year extension. To be fair, though, a potential running back room that features Achane and J.K. Dobbins would easily be the best in the NFL.
But Denver would further deplete their NFL Draft capital this year and perhaps even next. It's fun to envision a world where the Broncos acquire Achane, but it might be too rich of a move for the team to make.
However, Denver still clearly has a need at the position, as currently, the team is indeed slated to run it back in 2026, which may yield the same unfortunate results that we saw in 2025.