Dolphins Make Roster Decision About Rookie WR

Dolphins Make Roster Decision About Rookie WR

The deadline for rookies of the Miami Dolphins to report to training camp is officially here, but one of the 13 neophytes Miami drafted across the multi-day 2026 NFL Draft, Chris Bell, won’t be able to suit up to start things off. The wideout is still licking his wounds from a serious ACL injury he suffered in the middle of his collegiate swan song at the University of Louisville, so the Dolphins made a roster decision about him on Tuesday.

They officially announced that they are placing Bell on the active/non-football injury list. For context, any injury that doesn’t happen during an NFL practice or game gets the NFI designation, and of course he went down for the count back when he was still in college.

Bell will look to make his NFL debut sooner rather than later in the 2026 season after showing immense promise in his final two years at Louisville. He was good for nearly a first down and a half per reception (14.4 yards) as an upperclassman and in that span racked up almost 1,700 yards receiving to go along with 10 touchdowns receiving.

When the Dolphins drafted Bell in round three back in April, the consensus was that they got a steal, as many folks had pegged him as a first-round prospect before his season was derailed by an ACL injury.

The 22-year-old marks just one of three wideouts the Dolphins drafted back in April, and he wasn’t even the first wide receiver they selected. Early on in the third round and with the No. 75 overall pick, they picked former Texas Tech standout Caleb Douglas, who is in play to be a Week 1 starter for the Dolphins. Standing at 6’4” and boasting a 79-inch wingspan, he’s got the physical tools to be a long-time effective receiver at the highest level.