The Dolphins announced Monday that they have activated WR Chris Bell from the non-football injury list. The third-round pick opened camp with that designation while working back from the knee injury that ended his final college season in November.
What They're Saying: Team Taking Its Time
HC Jeff Hafley on Aug. 7: "Chris is progressing nicely. He's accelerating; he's decelerating. He's able to cut. ... I'll just say this: We want to be certain that he is ready so he does not have setbacks early in his career."
GM Jon-Eric Sullivan on 104.3 WQAM on Aug. 11: "The good lord made him differently than he made most, and that has helped him along in his rehab, too. He's just a little bit of a freak in that way ... obviously, we want him out there as soon as possible, but this is long-term, big-picture thinking in terms of getting him back out there, because we expect him to b e a really good player for this offense for years to come. So I'd rather be a week too late than a week too early."
2026 Fantasy Football Impact: Probably Mild ... But There's Opportunity
Those assessments make it pretty clear that the Dolphins aren't rushing the rookie back, which only makes it more encouraging that Bell's taking the field nearly a month ahead of the regular season.
That might not be enough time for the rookie to work his way into the starting rotation, but he'll face a soft depth chart as he builds up.
Caleb Douglas and Malik Washington have looked like the WR leaders so far. Douglas is a fellow third-round rookie, whom Miami selected 19 spots ahead of Bell. Washington arrived as a sixth-round pick in 2024 and posted these receiving lines in his first two campaigns:
- 2024: 26-223-0
- 2025: 46-317-3
His 7.5 yards per catch to date points to the short-range nature of Washington's game. If that continues under the new coaching staff, he'd present less of a direct challenge to Bell.
The rookie ran 91.2% of his college pass snaps from an outside position, according to Pro Football Focus, and posted a 10.7-yard career average depth of target.
Bell shouldn't be a draft target for most redraft formats, but his depth-chart status will be worth tracking amid the Dolphins rebuild.
