Ominous update on Dolphins draft pick may make Malik Willis' year even harder

Miami Dolphins quarterback Malik Willis and the organization that has hitched their wagon to him (for now) will find out fast just how much punishment, losing, and misery he can withstand on a football field.

It was rather cruel of the new Dolphins leadership of GM Jon-Eric Sullivan and head coach Jeff Hafley to bring Willis aboard in free agency, only to trade his WR1, Jaylen Waddle, straight away. That left the likes of diminutive slot receiver Malik Washington as Willis' go-to target.

Although Miami drafted three rookies to round out the receiving corps, by far the most intriguing one may not even see the field in 2026 if the latest buzz and speculation are to be believed.

Miami Dolphins rookie WR in danger of redshirting for 2026 season amid ACL recovery

On the Dolphins Collective podcast, Omar Kelly of the Miami Herald painted a dark portrait of what to expect out of ex-Louisville star and Dolphins third-round pick Chris Bell during his rookie campaign:

"Chris Bell is gonna spend half the year...on PUP. [...] Maybe in November, we reevaluate the situation, we open up his window to practice? Like, we don't even see him running. [...] Let's just understand, we are redshirting Chris Bell this year. Let's digest that in our spirit."

Kelly mentioned that Bell's late-season ACL tear that ended his collegiate career was on a similar timeline as ex-Dolphins edge defender Bradley Chubb, who suffered the same injury in Week 17 of the 2023 season. Although he came back in that November window, Chubb admitted he wasn't physically right.

Players heal in all kinds of different ways from major injuries. It's a case-by-case basis. An ACL tear isn't the career-ender it used to be, say, 15 to 20 years ago, yet obviously it's still a big deal. It should be noted, too, that Chubb was far deeper into his career than Bell, and had suffered a torn ACL in his other knee twice before that.

As for Bell's outlook, well, if he were healthy, he wouldn't have been on the board for the Dolphins to draft at 94th overall. He had the makings of a legit first-round prospect.

For a 6'2", 222-pounder, Bell has blazing speed, and he claimed he can run in the 4.3s in the 40-yard dash. Check out the breakdown below to get a taste of what this young man's potential could be.

The video below indicates that Bell was "ahead" in his recovery around the time of the draft. Kelly's latest observations from Dolphins OTAs don't jive with that notion.

Both things can have shades of truth to them, though. It's possible that Bell is just being put on ice until Miami's coaching staff is 100% comfortable with him starting to do the most basic football activities, and there's zero incentive to rush him back for what figures to be a demoralizing, losing season.

...And none of this is good news for Malik Willis.

If Willis can suffer all the slings and arrows and hits and interceptions and rookie mistakes that his pass-catchers inevitably make, perhaps those growing pains will serve the likes of Caleb Douglas and Kevin Coleman Jr. well. The question is: can Hafley's offensive staff coach these youngsters up well enough so they don't repeat mistakes, even as the losses continue to mount?

Chris Bell was one of the premier talents in the entire 2026 draft class, full stop. That's quite a statement considering the depth of the wide receiver position alone.

While the bigger-picture smart play is to not press Bell into action, it'd behoove the Dolphins to kick the tires on some other more experienced wide receivers. Because if Bell can't contribute at all this year, who's left for Willis to depend on? Jalen Tolbert? Tutu Atwell? Come on!

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