Miami Dolphins head coach Jeff Hafley revealed some more injury news for the team, including providing a big timeline plan for rookie receiver Chris Bell.
Miami Dolphins head coach Jeff Hafley took the podium early Friday to discuss more injury news. Offensive linemen Austin Jackson and Jamaree Salyer are dealing with ailments, as is tight end Greg Dulcich; more have been added to the list.
Fellow tight end Ben Sims, safety Dante Trader Jr., and wide receiver Kevin Coleman are also dealing with injuries. While Hafley did not indicate what those injuries are, he stated they are all "day-to-day."
In a larger update, Hafley also spoke on rookie receiver Chris Bell. A video has been circulating online of the pass catcher running, and the Dolphins head coach revealed he is doing great.
"Chris is progressing nicely. He's accelerating, he's decelerating, he's able to cut. I think that's a credit to Chris, how hard he's worked. I think it's a credit to Kyle, our training staff. I think it's a credit to Todd, our strength staff. I'll just say this: we want to be certain that he is ready so he does not have setbacks early in his career," Hafley said.
Hafley also indicated that Bell's return is not day-to-day, but it is also long-term.
The Dolphins drafted Bell in the third round of the 2026 NFL Draft out of Louisville. The prospect was considered to be a first-round talent, but an unfortunate season-ending ACL tear in 2025 derailed his draft status.
Miami took a chance on the pass catcher, and Bell has seemingly been looking better every day at practice and in his training. Surprisingly, Hafley also indicated that he would love to get the rookie out there in preseason to play a game.
"It would be a huge benefit to get him comfortable and, if possible, to get him in a preseason game before he has to go out and play in real games. Yeah, that would be huge. Do I hope that happens? That would be amazing. Am I confident that will happen? I am not sure yet. But that would be a very big benefit to get him started in a preseason game," Hafley said.
Bell has made strides in his recovery, and it does sound as if he could be working his way back to playing at some point in the 2026 season. Conversely, Hafley also made a huge point in that the team will keep him from reaggravating or making his injury worse.
Players sometimes need coaches to step in and keep themselves from overworking or making injuries worse.
The Dolphins have a litany of receivers currently, but getting a potential breakout rookie prospect would also be good. It all depends on how Bell looks and feels when Week 1 rolls around.
With what Hafley said, Bell is unlikely to play in the first preseason game between Miami and the Washington Commanders on Aug. 14, but he could potentially be ready to go during the second game against the New York Giants on Aug. 22.
All of the injuries Hafley spoke about thus far have been labeled as minor or "day-to-day," with the only major one being the loss of UDFA defensive lineman Rene Konga for the season.
