Positive Update on Achane

The Miami Dolphins running back has been on a tear over the past month

Miami Dolphins running back De'Von Achane (28) celebrates with tight end Darren Waller (83) and wide receiver Jaylen Waddle (17) after scoring a touchdown against the New York Jets during the first half at MetLife Stadium. | Ed Mulholland-Imagn Images

All signs seem to be positive for De'Von Achane as it related to his rib injury.

The Miami Dolphins running back has been on a great run (pardon the pun) lately, and it certainly appears as though he'll be ready to keep rolling when the team faces the Pittsburgh Steelers at Acrisure Stadium on Monday night.

Offensive coordinator Frank Smith said Friday morning he didn't see any reason Achane wouldn't be able to play against Pittsburgh based on what he saw in practice Thursday when Achane wore a red (no-contact jersey).

"He looked great," Smith said. "Yes, he looked great. He had a very good run. He had a very good run and a good cut. I was like, OK. That brought me a lot of joy. Yeah, I think, work through the process but I don't see anything that potentially is going to hold him back."

This obviously is great news for the Dolphins, who will be not only looking for their fifth consecutive victory but also maintain their faint playoff hopes alive.

Achane, who again wore a red jersey at practice Friday, currently is fourth in the NFL in rushing yards this season, behind only Jonathan Taylor, James Cook and Bijan Robinson, who played Thursday night.

Achane had a run of three consecutive games with at least 120 rushing yards snapped in the 34-10 victory against the New York Jets on Sunday because of a rib injury in the second quarter, though he still finished with 92 yards on only seven rushing attempts.

BIG POTENTIAL VS. STEELERS

Having Achane certainly would go a long way toward helping the Dolphins run past the Steelers (sorry again), in part because Pittsburgh has struggled badly against the run recently.

The Steelers were gashed for more than 200 rushing yards each of their past two games, in a loss against the Buffalo Bills in Week 13 and then against the Baltimore Ravens last Sunday.

Additionally, Steelers rookie defensive tackle Derrick Harmon sat out the Baltimore game with a knee injury and didn't practice Thursday.

SMITH ON WHAT MAKES ACHANE SPECIAL

During his weekly media session, Smith also was asked what makes Achane stand out among other running backs.

"I think it's really his vision and his feel and instincts in space," Smith said. "It goes all the way back to (Texas) A&M and the evaluation process. As you can see, when he's running, he has elite instincts and feel to where people are, where they're moving, and able to use his acceleration to find edges and be able to cut. I remember vividly still to this day in his value that there was a run versus LSU. It wasn't a huge run, but he was running to the right and he could feel the backside backer flying over the top. And then he felt him, he tempoed down to set his linemen back up to get back on the block and re-accelerate. I think it was like a 14- or 15-yard run. But the fact that he felt the backer was going to overrun him and he kind of tempoed — he didn't slow down, he kind of tempoed it to let his lineman be able to catch up to it, slow the backer down. That's when you know a guy has this feeling instincts, in space. And I think that's just something that really separates them from a lot of the guys."