The Miami Dolphins lost De’Von Achane to a torn ACL in their Week 3 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, and he will miss the rest of the 2026 season, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter and NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. Nonetheless, the Dolphins will have to turn the page ahead of their Week 4 game against the Minnesota Vikings.
Moreover, Miami will face their former head coach, Brian Flores, in this contest. Flores was the Dolphins’ head coach from 2019 to 2021 and finished with a 24-25 record over his three seasons in Miami.
In the final two seasons in South Florida, Flores finished with a winning record, going 10-6 in the 2020 season and 9-8 in the 2021 season. Nonetheless, that wasn’t enough to save his job, and the Dolphins fired him in 2022.
Ahead of the game against his former team, Flores spoke to the media on Sept. 29 and offered Achane support, as the running back has a long road ahead to return to the field next year.
“I’ll say [Achane is] a dynamic player,” Flores told reporters. “Oftentimes in the summer, I’ll blink at our first four or five opponents, and I remember watching him; I was on a plane and going, ‘This guy’s a problem.’
“So we never want to see guys go down. I’m sure he’ll come back and be a problem again… Hate that he went down because we don’t want our superstar players in the league out. We don’t want that. Nobody wants that.”
Brian Flores on Dolphins’ Offense Without De’Von Achane
Nonetheless, Flores will now have to prepare to face a Dolphins offense without Achane and noted that the Vikings defense still needs to be aware of players on that unit, including QB Malik Willis. Flores and his defensive group know what Willis can bring to the table from his time with the Green Bay Packers in the NFC North.
“We’ve got to be ready for anything,” Flores said about the Miami offense. “They got some good skill players. They got a good O-line. Obviously, Malik Willis’ scrambling ability, his ability to get outside of the pocket and make plays. We’ve got to be alert to that, which we’ve seen in multiple weeks now.
“So we should have an understanding of how we need to rush, how we need to contain. But I always say that’s easier said than done. It’s going to be another tough contest, and we’re going to have to have a great week of preparation.”
Vikings’ Brian Flores Excited to Catch Up With His Ex-Players
Meanwhile, the Dolphins still have players from Flores’s era, so the Vikings defensive coordinator is looking forward to seeing them, along with the support staff.
“As far as players, there’s only a couple of guys left, Zach Sieler, Austin Jackson, their tackle, and Austin Clark is also on staff there,” Flores added. “So I’m excited to see those guys, and that’ll be the pregame: Spend a little time catching up, asking them about their families. I’m sure they’re going to ask about mine. But yeah, excited about that.”
Brian Flores Has Message for Dolphins’ De’von Achane After Injury