The mass exodus of players leaving the Miami Dolphins has only just begun.
The Dolphins have cut a number of notable veteran players from their roster to free up cap space as well as reset for the future, including veteran pass rusher Bradley Chubb and receiver Tyreek Hill. The question everyone is wondering at this point is simple: Who's next?
We know the Tua Tagovailoa era with the Dolphins has come to an end. The Dolphins would prefer to trade him, but nobody knows if that's going to be able to happen. As the offseason rolls along, the Dolphins are going to have decisions to make about plenty of key players on their roster, including running back De'Von Achane. With the fire sale that's currently taking place, could they trade him to the highest bidder?
3 landing spots if the Dolphins decide to trade De'Von Achane in 2026
1. Los Angeles Chargers
The Dolphins would almost certainly be looking to get draft compensation in exchange for Achane, who has been such a dynamic weapon for the offense. But in the event that they trade him to a team like the Chargers, what about getting back someone like Omarion Hampton in a deal?
The Dolphins do have Ollie Gordon and Jaylen Wright, who each had 70 total carries last season. As great as Achane has been, the true architect behind the running game he was excelling in -- Mike McDaniel -- is now the offensive coordinator of the Los Angeles Chargers.
Whether it's for draft pick compensation or player-for-player compensation, it wouldn't be the most shocking development to see the Chargers at least try calling regarding Achane. Their running game left something to be desired last year, and a player like Achane could take that unit to the next level.
2. Houston Texans
De'Von Achane is from Texas, played his college ball at Texas A&M, and he would probably welcome the option of going back to his home state to play for a contender in the AFC.
The Houston Texans are in a rough situation at the running back position right now with Joe Mixon's future very much up in the air, Dameon Pierce getting cut last season, and nobody proving to be a truly viable long-term solution outside of depth this past season.
And with Achane, we're obviously talking about a game-changing weapon out of the backfield. The Texans would love to add a player like this to their offensive weaponry and seeing how dull their offense was this past year, he'd be a necessary spark.
3. Chicago Bears
Since 2022, Eric Studesville has been the running backs coach for the Miami Dolphins. And we've seen how well they've developed talent at that position, including obviously Achane himself. Now, Studesville is the running backs coach for Ben Johnson with the Chicago Bears.
As good as Eric Bieniemy previously was in that role for Chicago, they won't miss a beat after landing Studesville to coach up the position. The Bears got some better contributions this past season out of both D'Andre Swift and Kyle Monongai than anyone really expected, but the running back position an area just about everyone has expected Chicago to upgrade since Ben Johnson's arrival.
Can you imagine Ben Johnson's offense with a player like Achane? Well, we saw what he did with Jahmyr Gibbs in Detroit. The idea of getting Achane in a trade with Miami could be extremely appealing to the Bears, and would give Johnson another ace up his sleeve every week.