The Miami Dolphins have entered their new normal starting with Week 4 of the 2026 NFL season, which they’ll take part in on Sunday against the Minnesota Vikings.
The rest of this season, their RB depth chart won’t include De’Von Achane.
Achane tore his ACL in Week 3 against the Kansas City Chiefs, an injury that as soon as it was confirmed was known to be a season ender.
The leaves the Dolphins, who have begun the year 0-3, trying to figure out who will lead their backfield from here on out.
While it may not make a difference in some kind of surprise turnaround into a playoff run, it can define both how smoothly things go for QB Malik Willis as well as what the future of this running back room may be.
It looks like the Dolphins will have three options active on Sunday. The only question is how they split the work.
Dolphins RB Depth Chart
This is the likeliest breakdown of the three running backs:
- Jaylen Wright
- Ollie Gordon
- Carlos Washington
Wright has been ahead of Gordon on depth charts throughout the last two years when he has been healthy.
Of course, Wright was out with a foot injury when Achane got hurt in Week 3. That allowed Gordon to get all the work in the backfield, 17 carries for 41 yards and a touchdown.
That’s not great efficiency from Gordon, and it probably wasn’t enough to shake off Wright’s role once Wright got healthy.
An unofficial depth chart this week also showed Wright ahead of Gordon. He had previously been RB2 over Gordon’s RB3, and now it seems they’ve just moved up a slot.
The split could be close to 50-50 despite that, because the Dolphins will simply be trying to see which hand can get the hottest here.
They also have Washington, signed to the 53-man roster on Saturday after beginning the season on the practice squad. It’s unlikely he plays a ton, but Miami might as well give him a shot at some point, too.
Vikings Matchup
The problem for all of these backs on Sunday is that the Vikings defense, led by Brian Flores, is fierce.
They have yet to allow a rushing TD to a back this season, and they’ve also held RBs in all three games so far to under 4.0 yards per carry.
The Dolphins hadn’t even found a lot of space for Achane to operate yet. Maybe defenses will be less focused on stopping these specific rushers compared to Achane, but Flores will also want to make a statement on Sunday.
There’s a decent chance it’s tough sledding for everyone involved with the Dolphins’ offense in Week 4, no matter who has the ball in their hands.
Dolphins RB Depth Chart Includes Jaylen Wright, Ollie Gordon, Carlos Washington for Week 4