The Miami Dolphins appear to be entering a full rebuild after trading away wide receiver Jaylen Waddle, so does that mean running back De'Von Achane is also available for the right price?
The Chicago Bears have been in the position the Miami Dolphins are currently going through.
On Tuesday, the Dolphins traded wide receiver Jaylen Waddle to the Denver Broncos and received the No. 30 overall pick in return. It's a full-on rebuild in Miami. The team also released wide receiver Tyreek Hill and outside linebacker Bradley Chubb with a post-June 1 designation earlier in free agency.
And maybe Dolphins general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan isn't done. The only way to find out is for Bears general manager Ryan Poles to give the Dolphins a call and ask about running back De'Von Achane.
Some people may be wondering why the Bears would do this.
It's simple.
If head coach Ben Johnson believes his offense can become more dynamic with a player like Achane, then it should at least be explored. Remember when the Detroit Lions drafted Jahmyr Gibbs with the 12th overall pick in 2023 NFL Draft? And did so even after they signed David Montgomery in free agency.
The running back position matters to Johnson and it's a focal point in his offense.
Like Gibbs, Achane has game-changing speed. The Dolphins' running back ran a 4.32 40-yard dash in 2023, which was .04 seconds faster than Gibbs.
Achane finished last season with 40 runs that went for 10 or more yards, the third most in the NFL. He also led all running backs with at least 100 carries with his 5.7 yards per attempt. In 16 games played, he ran for 1,350 yards and eight touchdowns on 238 attempts.
Don't forget, he's also a legitimate weapon in the passing game, securing 67 receptions for 488 yards and four touchdowns.
D'Andre Swift had a career-year last season for the Bears, but outside of his rushing touchdowns (9), he failed in comparison to Achane.
Acquiring Achane would mean being reunited with running backs coach Eric Studesville, who was instrumental in the playmaker's development in Miami. The dots are starting to connect.
But why would the Dolphins make this trade, and what would it take to get something like this done?
Outside of the Dolphins trading away everybody at this point, Achane is entering the last year of his rookie contract, meaning the Dolphins would have to pay him if they want the dynamic running back a part of their future plans.
Ideally, a team would like to have some threats on offense for first-year head coach Jeff Hafley and quarterback Malik Willis, but the team did just trade Waddle, which means anything is possible.
Swift will have a cap hit of $8.8 million for 2026 and is entering the final year of his contract. If the Bears designate Swift as a post-June 1st cut, the team would save $6.97 million, according to OverTheCap.
Achane is owed roughly $6 million this upcoming season. The Bears would then be in a position to sign the 24-year-old for his second NFL contract.
But before any of that happens, it starts with a trade. And that's where things get interesting. The last high-profile young running back that was traded was Christian McCaffrey, which gave the Carolina Panthers a 2023 second-round, third and fourth-round picks and a 2024 fifth-round pick in return.
The Dolphins aren't getting anywhere close to that type of haul for Achane, but it could require one of Chicago's second-round picks (No. 57 or 60) combined with potentially Swift or this year's fourth-round pick (No. 129 overall). There are a variety of combinations.
Achane is an explosive player and would be a perfect pairing with Kyle Monangai in this Bears offense, but the price would be too much to spend. So the Bears shouldn't make this hypothetical trade.
The Bears proved last season they could identify talent at that position when they selected Monangai in the seventh round. That could be the route the Bears take if choose to find another ball carrier for the future of this team.