MIAMI GARDENS — For as long as De’Von Achane has been a Miami Dolphin, he’s always had the likes of a Tyreek Hill, Tua Tagovailoa or Jaylen Waddle with him.

No more.

Achane, the speedy Pro Bowl running back, is the man for the Dolphins offense in 2026. It’s undisputed.

“It’s great,” Achane said of that added responsibility after Miami’s Monday practice. “I feel like I’m ready for it. That’s kind of something that you look for, that a team wants of you, and I feel like I’m ready to do it.”

It won’t require some wholesale change for him or his on-field approach.

What he’s been doing to this point works for him.

“It’s the same thing. Nothing changes,” Achane said. “I feel like, when you try to change stuff, it kind of sort of doesn’t go your way. But if you keep doing what you’re doing, keep doing what’s right and what’s good for you, it kind of falls in place.”

Last year, Achane ran for 1,350 yards, the third-most by a Dolphins running back in a season, and a 5.7 rushing average. He added 67 receptions for 488 yards and four more touchdowns through the air.

“Achane is a dynamic player,” said Dolphins coach Jeff Hafley, who reminisced Monday about losing sleep in 2024 ahead of the Packers’ matchup with Miami when he was defensive coordinator in Green Bay.

“I think he’s one of the best at his position in the game, whether it’s in the backfield or catching the ball from the backfield, lining up as a wide receiver, wherever we put him, so I’m excited about that.”

What does change for Achane, though, is the leadership role he can play with many of the veterans he used to play with now gone.

Achane is not the most vocal player. The example he sets alone, given his on-field success in his first three NFL seasons out of Texas A&M, carries significant weight.

But he might be preparing to open up more in front of teammates, similar to how quarterback Malik Willis, new to the Dolphins this season, chose to stand in front of the offense recently to deliver a message.

“I’m getting better at it, something I’m getting comfortable with,” said Achane, who was entrusted by new general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan with a four-year contract extension worth between $64 to $68 million. “Being RB1 and star of the team, I got to be that. Whatever the team needs out of me, I’m willing to give it to them.

“When something needs to be said, sometimes the team needs that. The team needs someone to talk.”

Achane’s teammates have noticed him taking the greater leadership role.

“Just him being more vocal and being more comfortable in talking roles and showing his leadership by what he does and his actions on the field, off the field,” third-year left tackle Patrick Paul said. “I think that’s how he leads.”

As Achane grows in his profile within the Dolphins roster, he still seems to be largely underrated across the league.

The popular Madden video game rates him as the 11th-best running back in the NFL entering the season. The Packers’ Josh Jacobs, Chiefs’ Kenneth Walker and Rams’ Kyren Williams are among tailbacks rated higher.

“Madden is a video game, so I don’t take that seriously, but it is what it is,” Achane said. “I don’t put too much mind to it.

“Everybody got their opinion. Me, I feel like I’m going to always be No. 1 to me. Everybody’s got their favorites, so underrated, overrated — it don’t matter.”

Achane has his blazing speed, but he’s also small at 5 feet 9, 191 pounds. What separates him from many other running backs, though, is how he can be an extra receiver on the field on passing plays.

“He’s a special player,” said wide receiver Jalen Tolbert, impressed by his route-running and hands as a running back. “I obviously knew about him before I got here, but actually seeing him — because he didn’t do much in OTAs — but actually seeing him in practice and watching him in routes on air to team periods, is special. It’s no reason that he shouldn’t double down on what he did last year.”

Achane will have a lot asked of him on the new-look Dolphins offense, but he appears primed to handle it.