Miami Dolphins rookie receiver Chris Bell spoke about his return to football and the kind of mental strategy he has had since tearing his ACL.
Miami Dolphins rookie receiver Chris Bell has been making big strides in his recovery since tearing his ACL in November 2025.
Bell was recently removed from the NFI (non-football injury) list and has since returned to practice. Though it has taken the receiver a long time to get back to playing football, he detailed the mental strategy that allowed him to stay ready despite not being able to be on the field.
Bell is 6-foot-2 and 220 pounds and has the size and athleticism that could make him a very dangerous weapon for quarterback Malik Willis and the offense. The Dolphins clearly saw the talent, as they selected him in the third round of the 2026 NFL Draft.
The former Louisville playmaker was initially projected to be a first- or second-round pick, but the ACL tear caused Bell to drop quite a bit.
Now, Bell is practicing again and even engaged in his first 11-on-11 drill as a member of the Dolphins.
"I feel pretty good. Like I said, I haven't played football in a little minute," Bell said of practicing again. "Just getting back out there, to be able to run and cut and things like that, it feels pretty good. The thing that I'm just mostly focused on now is just getting back into football shape."
Bell was seen during the offseason running at near full speed, and he looked ready to play, but looks can be deceiving. The rookie receiver admitted that he is now getting acclimated back to playing football and getting into "football shape."
Miami head coach Jeff Hafley made it a point to state that Bell would not be rushed back into action by any means, and his return to football would only be based on comfort and his ability to run, make cuts, and do everything that a receiver can do.
Bell clearly has been able to do those things, but he also stayed ready mentally. Not being able to be out on the field can certainly impact a players' confidence and more, but the rookie pass catcher stayed ready mentally in a significant way.
"I feel like even when you're not practicing, you always got to take mental reps. My thing was even though I'm not on the field, I study my position, study my spot and just try to process the play in my head, because they used to give me a little mic so I used to hear the play call in the huddle and just try to do those things to stay focused and get the mental reps," Bell said.
Bell was able to be involved in the passing game by hearing the call in the huddle. Despite not being on the field, he could essentially visualize lining up and running the route that was designated to him.
Now, it is about him getting the reps in during practice and building that chemistry with Willis.
"I feel like our connection is coming along. I just got back out there, so I can't say we got a connection yet on the field, but it takes time. We just got to get on the right page and things like that. Off the field, he always checking on me," Bell said.
Bell has the chance to now build that chemistry with Willis in practice and potentially in a live-game setting. Hafley stated that he may be ready to play in a preseason game, but not against the New York Giants in Week 2.
The Dolphins play the Atlanta Falcons in their preseason finale on Aug. 28. That could be a strong timetable for Bell to return to a live-game setting and get some play time under his belt before potentially debuting in the regular season opener on Sep. 13.
