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NFL analyst Bill Barnwell thinks the Dolphins should have traded De'Von Achane instead of signing him to a contract extension

The Miami Dolphins have spent the majority of the offseason unloading players from their roster in an attempt to clear out their salary cap and kickstart their rebuild. That didn’t ring true for star running back De’Von Achane, though, as he got signed to a new four-year, $64 million contract extension instead of getting traded.

With the Dolphins trading wide receiver Jaylen Waddle, another supposed pillar of their offense, to the Denver Broncos, it seemingly would have made sense for the team’s new-look front office to unload Achane, too. Instead, they signed him to a big-money deal, and it has left NFL analyst Bill Barnwell scratching his head.

Dolphins’ De’Von Achane Contract Decision Gets Criticized

In 2025, Achane had to take on a bigger role in Miami’s offense than ever before, thanks to the overall state of the unit. He proceeded to put together the best season of his career, as he picked up 1,350 yards and eight touchdowns on the ground, while also catching 67 passes for 488 yards and four more scores.

From a pure talent standpoint, locking up Achane makes a lot of sense, as he’s one of the most explosive offensive playmakers in the league. Beyond that, the value of his contract is very sensible, which is important for a team that has had to absorb a $99.2 million dead cap hit after it released Tua Tagovailoa earlier this offseason.

The problem is that Miami is not going to be good for a couple of years now, which makes its decision to extend Achane so confusing. Barnwell believes that the Dolphins just missed their best chance to trade Achane, as he would have rather seen the team try to get a second-round draft pick in exchange for his services.

“The Dolphins aren’t likely to field much of a passing attack anytime soon, and Willis probably will shoulder some of the rushing workload, which will combine to limit Achane’s ability to impact games,” Barnwell wrote for ESPN. “If the Dolphins could have landed a second-round pick for him, I would have preferred to see them move on and try to land the next Achane in the middle rounds of the draft over the years to come.”

Should the Dolphins Have Traded De’Von Achane?

GettyEAST RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY – DECEMBER 07: De’Von Achane #28 of the Miami Dolphins looks on after the NFL 2025 game against the New York Jetsat MetLife Stadium on December 07, 2025 in East Rutherford, New Jersey.”” (Photo by Kenneth Richmond/Getty Images)

On one hand, if you are picking between trading Achane and trading Waddle, moving the latter makes the most sense, as wide receivers are more valuable than running backs. Now that Waddle is gone, though, Achane is pretty much the only real offensive weapon the Dolphins have at their disposal right now, which could make things pretty ugly in 2026.

If you are going to lean into a rebuild, why not go all in? Keeping Achane is a good decision in theory, but his talents are likely going to be wasted on a Miami team that doesn’t appear intent on winning many games over the next few years. Maybe the Dolphins will surprise folks and speed run their rebuild, but as of right now, it’s tough to justify hanging onto Achane when looking at the scope of the rest of the team’s offseason work.