The Miami Dolphins' wide receiver room isn't great on paper. The team didn't draft an early player at the position, but did take two in round three. One of them could be one of the best steals of the 2026 draft.
Chris Bell is fighting to get back on the field after tearing his ACL last year while at Louisville. Bell was considered a late first-round talent prior to the injury. The Dolphins are hoping he will return to that form, and by the looks of it, he is getting closer to proving it.
Jeff Hafley met with the media on Tuesday as the Dolphins began their training camp. Injuries were a big part of the media's questions. Hafley delivered Dolphins fans some good news on Bell, but not so much on a few others.
Miami Dolphins get good news on Chris Bell, but Storm Duck's future is in doubt
Bell is trending to get back on the field. Despite not being ready to fully participate in training camp, Bell was able to complete the team's conditioning test.
"I think he's in a really good place right now," Hafley said. "We'll see, but I don't think it's way off in the distance. I am excited with where he's at. I can get a smirk on my face and have some optimism there. He did the conditioning test today with the team, so we'll see where it goes."
Hafley estimates that his return timeline could be weeks, but doesn't expect it to turn into months. The same can't be said about Storm Duck and Darrell Baker.
The head coach said that Baker is further off than Duck, but that both players are looking at returns later in the season. That won't bode well for either of them, and by deduction, they both will probably start the year on injured reserve. For Duck, his Cinderella NFL story could be impacted.
Hafley opened his press conference by stating that everyone passed the team's conditioning test. That's good news and shows the players have kept in shape through the offseason.
The Dolphins will go through soft practices the next few days before putting pads on for the first time later in the week or at the start of next week. Hafley has stressed the importance of being a physical football team, so we will see if they can be that without more injuries popping up.
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