Jeff Hafley gives Encouraging Chris Bell update

Jeff Hafley gives Encouraging Chris Bell update

Of all the 13 players the Miami Dolphins selected in the 2026 NFL Draft, perhaps it’s wide receiver Chris Bell who has the most promise.

This sentiment might be confusing to some fans, as the Dolphins drafted five players before Bell, who was chosen late in the third round, but the fact of the matter is that he was well on his way to being a first-round pick before bad injury luck struck. Bell went down with a torn ACL in a Week 13 game of his senior year of college last year, and his draft stock plummeted as a result.

But it’s safe to claim that the Dolphins got tremendous value (a first-round talent) at pick No. 94, and head coach Jeff Hafley recently gave an injury update on the young man that should have fans feeling encouraged. Miami’s newest leader from the sidelines was asked whether it will be more months than weeks before Bell returns to practice, and he said “that’s up in the air” but also that he doesn’t “think it’s like way off in the distance.”

Before he went down with an injury last season, Bell put scouts on notice with some stellar play for the University of Louisville in 2025. Finishing with 917 yards receiving on 72 receptions, he showed off some incredible explosiveness as well as a real knack for game-altering catches.

Bell is just one of three wideouts the Dolphins selected across the several rounds of the 2026 NFL Draft. Earlier on in round three, they went with Texas Tech alum Caleb Douglas, who just so happens to be the Dolphins’ highest-drafted receiver as well as probably the only one who’s fully healthy. Kevin Coleman Jr., the last receiver whom the Dolphins drafted in the fifth round, isn’t far removed from tearing his ACL back in November of last year.