De’Von Achane returns for Miami Dolphins’ game vs. Raiders but injures knee again

Miami Dolphins rookie running back De’Von Achane returned to the lineup for Sunday’s game against the Las Vegas Raiders but re-injured his knee in the first quarter.

Achane, the team’s third-round pick, sustained the injury on the offense’s fourth snap after being tackled on his first carry and second touch of the game.

He jogged to the sideline, appearing to be in some discomfort, and later entered the medical tent to be further evaluated. He then headed into the locker room with a trainer and returned to the Dolphins’ sideline in uniform but without a helmet.

The team listed Achane as questionable to return but he did not play another snap in Miami’s 20-13 win against Las Vegas. He finished the game with 5 yards on two touches.

Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel said Achane injured the same knee that he sprained in Week 5 and kept him out for four straight games.

“He kind of got landed on and it was a little painful,” McDaniel said. “He was politicking trying to come back in the game, but I was a little worried off the rust to go and do that. So, we kind of held him back and we’ll see what it looks like.”

McDaniel said the team received “positive feedback” from the training staff regarding Achane’s injury, but given the nature of his ailment and the Dolphins’ short turnaround for Friday’s road game against the New York Jets, his availability five days later is in question. Miami has taken a cautious approach to injuries this season. McDaniel previously said the team even wrestled with placing Achane on injured reserve and sidelining him for four games because of the timeline associated with his recovery.

“I don’t necessarily know about his status,” running back Raheem Mostert said. “We’ll find out tomorrow, obviously, but I’m hoping it’s nothing too crazy, just a little fluke here and there. It’s very important for him to be back. He brings a whole dynamic to the offense, even more so the speed aspect, too.

“Getting him back is very important, but I was telling him on the sideline, whether it’s an injury or not, you have to treat it as a couple more extra days to that way you can be back fully. And I’m not saying that he was rushing the process. I’m not saying that by any means. I’m just giving him the vet talk that sometimes when it comes to certain injuries, you just have to relax a little bit. But he’s going to take care of himself. We’re all going to take care of him, so he’s good.”

Achane was the latest Miami offensive player to be sidelined by injury.

Wide receivers Braxton Berrios (hamstring) and Chase Claypool (knee), guards Robert Hunt (hamstring) and Robert Jones (knee) and tight end Durham Smythe (ankle) were also inactive.

It was the first missed game of the season for Smythe and Berrios. With Smythe out, undrafted rookie Julian Hill started and Tyler Kroft also contributed.

With Hunt and Jones sidelined, Lester Cotton and Liam Eichenberg are expected to start at left guard and right guard, respectively. It’s the sixth different starting offensive line combination the Dolphins have used this season.

Running back Jeff Wilson Jr. was a healthy scratch with Achane back in the lineup. Salvon Ahmed was active and was evaluated for a concussion in the fourth quarter but was cleared to return to the game.

Quarterback Skylar Thompson (emergency QB) was also inactive.

Hill has injury scare

Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill briefly left Sunday’s game after injuring his hand in the second quarter. But he returned to set more NFL history in Miami’s 20-13 home win.

With a 10-catch, 146-yard performance, Hill has the most receiving yards by an NFL player in his team’s first 10 games. Hill’s 1,222 receiving and nine touchdowns both lead the league.

Hill headed into the locker room minutes after he was stopped short on a fourth-and-1 play from the Raiders’ 3-yard line. He returned to the sideline just as the Dolphins scored on their ensuing possession to take a 14-10 lead late in the second quarter. The Dolphins said Hill was questionable to return and he returned for Miami’s final possession of the first half.

“I got my [expletive] popped,” Hill said. “Unfortunately — I was able to make a play — but got my [expletive] popped, and my hand, it was just in the middle of me catching a ball when dude helmet hit my hand. But it’s nothing serious, though. It was just a little pain.”

Hill said he should be fine to play in the Dolphins’ game against Jets, joking that “the only thing I’m really bummed about, I won’t be able to play Fortnite.”

Hill remains on track to shatter the league’s single-season receiving record and produce the NFL’s first-ever 2,000-yard receiving season. He’s on pace for 2,077 receiving yards.

“I’m just trying to help this team win,” Hill said. “That’s my mind-set. Two thousand yards is just something just to get the fans and Twitter going crazy, but obviously the main goal for me is to win games, help this team win games. That’s my mind-set.”