Dolphins RB De’Von Achane notches first Pro Bowl appearance
Welcome to the Pro Bowl, De’Von Achane.
The star running back’s storybook season continued Tuesday with a Pro Bowl berth. In addition to Achane, four of his teammates — receiver Jaylen Waddle, fullback Alec Ingold, safety Minkah Fitzpatrick and linebacker Jordyn Brooks — were named alternates. The Pro Bowl games kick off at 6:30 p.m. February 3 in San Francisco, Calif.
Achane has been the go-to player on the Miami Dolphins’ offense since Week 1. The former Texas A&M standout ranks third in rushing yards (1,267), fifth in yards from scrimmage (1,726) and first in yards per attempt (5.8).
Asked whether he deserves to be in the top-five running back discussion just before he hit the 1,000-yard mark and Achane wanted to let his numbers — and versatility — speak for themselves.
“If I can get 100 yards in six games, I don’t know what to tell you,” Achane said in mid-November, letting out a slight chuckle. “And I don’t even be playing the position.”
Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel has been effusive in his praise of Achane all season, and doubled down on this notion the day before the rosters were announced.
“De’Von has found a way to improve his close quarter yards and has a new level of confidence with his vision,” McDaniel said, calling the 24-year-old “deserving” of a Pro Bowl spot. “When we’re able to get him to one defender where he just has to make one defender miss, he’s consistently doing that at an explosive rate.”
Brooks’ appearance as an alternate comes amid arguably the best season of his six-year career, as the linebacker leads all defenders in tackles with 169.
“You’re going to struggle to be around an NFL season where you see a guy physically impose his will like Jordyn does,” McDaniel said. “He not only is playing very physical and violent, but he’s covering a lot of ground while leading a team and unearthing a new level of leadership. I think he’s taken a gigantic leap in his career. I think his confidence is high. He’s always been a good player, but he’s definitely taken a step and upward trajectory this season and someone we depend on vitally who earns the ‘C‘ every week regardless of win or loss.”
Waddle, meanwhile, has significantly stepped up since Tyreek Hill suffered a season-ending knee injury in Week 4. His 910 receiving yards rank 17th among all pass-catchers and ahead of notable names like Stefon Diggs, D.K. Metcalf and Davante Adams.
Similar to Waddle, Fitzpatrick’s play has improved steadily throughout the season as the newcomer emerged as one of the leaders on the backend. Although a calf injury kept him out of the Cincinnati Bengals game, he has amassed one interception, six pass deflections as well as a career-high four tackles for loss in a hybrid safety-nickel corner role. Pro Football Focus graded Fitzpatrick as the sixth-best safety in 2025.
“Minkah is a great chess piece in our defense and a great leader,” rookie safety Dante Trader Jr. said. “He makes a lot of plays, so when he doesn’t play you’ve got to spread out some plays and production. Let’s be honest, Minkah is who he is because he’s a baller. He’s elite, so not saying you can replace – you can’t replace Minkah.”
As he has in year’s past, Ingold continues to be a focal point of what the Dolphins do in the run game. In fact, Achane’s career year has been due in large part to what Ingold does at the point of attack, clearing out defenders so that the tailback can get those one-on-one opportunities that McDaniel mentioned.
While there were surely other deserved Dolphins like center Aaron Brewer and punter Jake Bailey, it’s nice that Achane will be able to represent the aqua and orange. Unfortunately, winning ultimately pushes more guys into consideration, something that the Dolphins have failed to do more often than not in 2025.
This story was originally published December 23, 2025 at 10:21 AM.
