On Sunday, the Miami Dolphins will kick off their season against the Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium.
Perhaps the most encouraging news for the Dolphins heading into Week 1 is the status of wide receiver Chris Bell. Bell, who fell to the third round of the 2026 NFL Draft after suffering a late-season ACL tear in 2025, was originally expected to miss the first six weeks of the season according to general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan.
Despite this, Bell returned quicker than expected and now he’s going to be a starter for the Dolphins during their Week 1 matchup.
However, that does not mean that Bell is 100% recovered.
Miami Dolphins Make Chris Bell Decision
The Palm Beach Post’s Joe Schad posted on X: “Dolphins WR Chris Bell said he’s about 80-85 percent back as far as conditioning.”
Aside from being a starter, Dolphins head coach Jeff Hafley revealed the surprising decision that there would be no snap limitations for Bell in the team’s opener.
I asked if he has any advice on how I can improve my conditioning.
“Just step outside,” Bell said with a smile. “That’s all I got for you.”
Dolphins offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik spoke of Bell’s recovery before the season, as he said, “It’s a really cool story that he’s even in a position to be able to play. I think that’s incredible. I think that’s a credit to the kid. It’s really special to be around something like that. Now he has a lot of catching up to do, like physically, just he’s well more than a month behind everybody else that had OTAs and then had probably a good two, three weeks of camp under their belt before he really was with us getting back into the football work.”
While Slowik expressed some caution due to Bell’s injury, he also praised the player’s talent, saying, “But when he’s fresh, when he’s good to go, he’s explosive. He’s aggressive. I mean, he’s a big man that’s moving really fast. I mean, he gets rolling. He’s got good change of direction. He plays with the right mindset. So like all that stuff is really exciting. It’s just getting his legs under him as we keep going through this and as he keeps kind of recovering.”
Chris Bell Prediction
Aside from Bell, the Dolphins will also be starting rookie wide receiver Caleb Douglas on Sunday. Douglas impressed during training camp and was actually Miami’s first receiver selected in the draft.
However, despite this, Joe Schad predicted Bell would lead the Dolphins in receiving yards. Schad wrote: “It’s entirely possible that rookies Chris Bell and Caleb Douglas each post around 700 receiving yards this season. We’re going to put our chips on Bell leading the team in receiving yards.
Yes, it is possible De’Von Achane, Greg Dulcich and/or Malik Washington may all be in the same range in total catches. But we think Bell emerges as WR1 fairly quickly.”
Prior to the draft, Bell drew comparisons to New England Patriots Pro Bowl wide receiver AJ Brown. As Slowik mentioned, he’s got strong physical traits that make him a legitimate option to become Miami’s No. 1 wide receiver this season.
Dolphins Make Bold Chris Bell Decision Despite Injury Admission