Fins open window for Achane’s possible return

MIAMI — Dolphins running back De’Von Achane returned to practice Monday as his 21-day activation window to return from injured reserve officially opened.

Achane rushed for 460 yards and scored seven total touchdowns in four games, establishing himself as one of the league’s standout rookies. Despite rushing for 151 yards and a touchdown against the New York Giants in Week 5, the third-round pick injured his knee and was placed on IR the following week.

Miami’s production has dropped off slightly without Achane. Its offense failed to break 100 rushing yards in two of the four games he’s missed.

Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel said Achane’s injury wasn’t necessarily incapacitating, but the Dolphins decided to play it safe with their star rookie.

“There wasn’t tearing, it was more of a strain-type injury,” McDaniel said Monday. “The thing that you do, if you really minimize the time off the field in these situations with players, is you throw a brace on the player and have them go. I just didn’t really envision him being one that would really flourish with a brace.

“So, we took the time to make sure we could get structurally completely strong. We probably erred on the side of caution with that, but everything seems ready to go for today’s practice.”

Veteran Raheem Mostert has shouldered the majority of the workload in Achane’s absence, rushing for 291 yards and five total touchdowns in the Dolphins’ past four games. He is currently tied with Christian McCaffrey for the NFL lead in total touchdowns with 13 — which also represents a career high.

In other injury news, Dolphins offensive linemen Rob Hunt and Robert Jones are considered week-to-week with hamstring and knee injuries, respectively. Hunt missed the team’s loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 9 and Jones was carted back to the locker room during that game.

Miami hosts the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday.

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