Miami Dolphins wide receiver Jaylen Waddle is dealing with a high-ankle sprain, leaving his status for his team’s pivotal Week 17 matchup with the Baltimore Ravens in question.
The good news is that Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel said Waddle’s injury is not “overly severe.”
“He’s one of — if not the toughest — fast guys I’ve been around,” McDaniel said, via David Furones of The South Florida Sun Sentinel. “Him being that way, it’s tough to rule him out for this week. I wouldn’t put anything past him.”
Waddle suffered the injury during Miami’s win over the Dallas Cowboys this past weekend. He logged one 50-yard catch in the victory.
On the season overall, Waddle has hauled in 72 receptions for 1,014 yards and four touchdowns.
The 25-year-old, who played his collegiate football at the University of Alabama, was selected by the Dolphins with the sixth overall pick of the 2021 NFL Draft.
He played in 16 games during his rookie campaign, catching 104 passes for 1,015 yards and six scores. The following year, Waddle was even better, snaring 75 balls for 1,356 yards while reaching the end zone eight times. He also led the league by averaging 18.1 yards per catch.
The Dolphins’ receiving corps has certainly taken some hits over the past couple of weeks, as No. 1 wide out Tyreek Hill had recently been dealing with an ankle injury of his own. He did not play in Miami’s Week 15 win over the New York Jets but was back on the field this past Sunday.
Jaylen Waddle is the second receiver on the Dolphins’ depth chart and—along with Hill—has helped form what has been arguably the best receiving tandem in the NFL this season.
Miami is 11-4 on the year and has the opportunity to clinch the AFC East division title this coming weekend. In addition, the Dolphins can draw even with the Ravens for the best record in the conference which would also put them in position to earn the No. 1 seed and secure home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.
After facing Baltimore, the Dolphins will take on the Buffalo Bills in a divisional clash to wrap up the regular season on Jan. 7.
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