In the second half of the Miami Dolphins' loss to the San Francisco 49ers, Caleb Douglas went down after his ankle was seemingly rolled up on during a block. After the game, he was seen wearing a walking boot.
Jeff Hafley met with the media on Monday afternoon and couldn't give an update on Douglas' situation. That lack of clarity says a lot more than saying nothing at all.
Miami Dolphins keep Caleb Douglas injury unknown heading into Week 3
It is very possible that Hafley doesn't know the severity of the injury yet. As expected, it was an ankle injury. He had his foot rolled over during a play in the second half. He left the field gingerly, but under his own power, and then headed to the locker room shortly thereafter.
If it is a minor issue, he could miss one week, if any, but if Hafley doesn't have an idea of where he is at right now, it would point to Douglas missing this week's game against the Kansas City Chiefs at Hard Rock Stadium.
If Douglas can't go, the Dolphins will almost certainly elevate Jalen Tolbert from the practice squad, but they will need Chris Bell to step up in a big way to complement Malik Washington.
Washington had a good game on Sunday in the Dolphins' loss. Ryan Miller made a late-game impression with the Dolphins' only touchdown. Miami's WR unit isn't bad, but they are inexperienced. Losing Douglas would be a setback despite the rookie not having found the end zone yet.
Douglas has seven receptions on 10 targets for 113 yards and five first downs. He has developed a strong relationship with quarterback Malik Willis. The 49ers managed to keep Douglas all Sunday afternoon.
The rookie has become an important part of the Dolphins' offense. He trails Washington (13 targets) and De'Von Achane (11 targets). The next closest is tight end Greg Dulcich with five targets.
Bobby Slowik has to get to work on getting his replacement up to speed. It may not be certain that Douglas will miss Sunday's game, but it's hard to imagine that an ankle injury is going to heal quickly enough. Douglas relies heavily on this ability to make quick cuts out of his breaks. An ankle issue will prevent him from being as effective.
Again, if he can't go, the Dolphins must rely on fellow rookie Bell, who has only one reception on three targets for 25 yards.
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