On Sunday afternoon, the Miami Dolphins will open up their season against the Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium.
The team will look significantly different than they did in the 2025 season, as the Dolphins underwent a dramatic roster makeover this offseason.
The Dolphins moved on from a majority of their high-priced players and added 13 rookies in the 2026 NFL Draft. Perhaps among the most intriguing out of those rookies was wide receiver Chris Bell, who fell in the draft after he suffered a late-season torn ACL during the 2025 season.
Ahead of their matchup against the Las Vegas Raiders, the Miami Dolphins have announced their inactive players.
Miami Dolphins Announce Inactives
ESPN’s Marcel Louis-Jacques posted on X: “Dolphins inactives vs the Raiders: QB Brady Cook (emergency quarterback), WR Jalen Tolbert, OL DJ Campbell, TE Justin Joly, OL Chukwuebuka Godrick, CB Reese Taylor”
Despite not being given an injury designation, wide receiver Chris Bell admitted that he was only 80% to 85% heading into Week 1. Fortunately for the Dolphins, the third-round rookie wide receiver is active for Miami’s season opener.
Additionally, his primary backup, Jalen Tolbert, who also plays a similar outside role, is inactive.
Dolphins head coach Jeff Hafley revealed the surprising decision that there would be no snap limitations for Bell in the team’s opener. That appears to be the case with Tolbert being inactive.
Tolbert is the Dolphins wide receiver with the best season under his belt, as no other wide receiver on the team has surpassed 600 yards in an NFL season. In 2024, Tolbert had 610 receiving yards and seven touchdowns while starting 15 games for the Dallas Cowboys.This preseason, Tolbert totaled four receptions and 57 receiving yards. However, the team believes Bell did enough to start over Tolbert without any limitations.
Dolphins Coaches on Bell
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.”
Additionally, fellow rookie wide receivers Caleb Douglas and Kevin Coleman Jr. are also active for the Dolphins. While Douglas and Bell are starters, Coleman Jr. is expected to be a backup slot receiver. If all three total a reception, Miami would become the first team in NFL history to have three drafted wide receivers all have a catch during Week 1 of their rookie season.
Dolphins Announce Chris Bell Decision for Raiders Game Despite Injury