The Miami Dolphins are heading quickly toward their season opener on Sunday.
When Week 1 kickoff officially arrives for the Dolphins, it’s going to start a new era at the wide receiver position in Miami.
This offseason, the Dolphins let both Jaylen Waddle and Tyreek Hill go. Waddle now plays for the Denver Broncos, while Hill remains a free agent as he recovers from a brutal injury.
Even if it didn’t make sense for either player to be on the Miami roster this season, it changes things considerably. They were both proven veterans with explosive sides to their games.
Now, the Dolphins are counting on the whole wide receiver room to step into situations that they haven’t been in before.
They’re also doing it with a new quarterback, Malik Willis, who has a lot of believers but also not a ton of starting experience in the NFL.
There’s a path on which this all works out for the Dolphins. There’s also a very real chance that it becomes messy as the year goes on.
But as Week 1 ticks on, the Dolphins have given a glimpse at what this wide receiver room might look like by releasing an unofficial depth chart on Tuesday.
Dolphins WR Depth Chart
The Dolphins listed three receivers as starters on their first depth chart of the year:
- Caleb Douglas
- Malik Washington
- Chris Bell
They then list Ryan Miller as the backup to Douglas on the outside, Jalen Tolbert as the other perimeter backup, and Kevin Coleman Jr. as the backup to Washington in the slot.
Douglas, Bell and Coleman are all rookies.
What To Know
There are so many question marks here, but that doesn’t mean there won’t be playmakers in this group, too.
Washington is an explosive player who showed flashes, including on gadget run plays, last season.
He’ll be counted on to do a lot more out of the slot and potentially all over the field, and he’s the relative leader of this group compared to the rookies.
Douglas was one of the stars of the summer, and he and Bell were both picked in the third round of the 2026 NFL Draft.
Most expect Douglas to make an earlier impact because he was healthy throughout camp and had the most chance to build a rapport with Willis.
Bell, on the other hand, wasn’t a sure thing to be ready for Week 1 as he recovered from injury. His placement on this depth chart suggests he’ll play some against the Raiders, although whether he can handle a full snap count remains to be seen.
Miller has probably flown the most under the radar. He previously had a few good moments with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and could actually provide solid experience in reserve. Tolbert, too, showed flashes with the Dallas Cowboys.
Overall, it’s a fascinatingly constructed group. It has the potential to grow into its own as the season goes along, and that’s probably what the Dolphins have to hope for with such an inexperienced receiver room. If they look better at the end of the season than the start, that’s a pretty solid win.
Dolphins WR Depth Chart Reveals Intrigue