Examining What the Chris Bell Move Means

The Miami Dolphins rookie wide receiver will miss the start of training camp as expected

Miami Dolphins wide receiver Chris Bell rides an air bike during rookie minicamp at the Baptist Health Training Complex. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

On the day their rookies reported for training camp, the Miami Dolphins announced the disappointing but highly expected move involving one of their 13 picks from the 2026 NFL draft.

The team placed wide receiver Chris Bell on the active/non-football injury list.

Bell, the team's third of three third-round picks this year, has been working his way back from the torn ACL he sustained during his final season at Louisville last November.

While he took part in stretching, Bell didn't participate in any individual or team drill during the spring practices open to the media and it seemed a long shot all along that he'd be ready for the start of training camp practices next week.

THE INS AND OUTS OF NFI

Bell wound up on NFI and not PUP based on the fact his injury occurred before he joined the Dolphins and therefore wasn't sustained while performing an activity for the team, but the mechanics of the list remain the same.

Bell still counts against the 90-player roster limit — the Dolphins have it at 91 because of IPP player Seydou Traore — and can come off NFI at any time once he's cleared to start practicing.

If Bell remains on NFI when the Dolphins have to cut their roster to the 53-player limit on Sunday, August 30, they then will have to decide whether to move him to Reserve/NFI, which would sideline him for at least the first four games of the regular season or put him on the active roster — they technically could waive him, though that would be wild.

Head coach Jeff Hafley didn't provide a timetable for Bell during the offseason, so it's anybody's guess when he could be ready for action.

Bell joined the Dolphins after a great senior year at Louisville where he caught 72 passes for 917 yards and six touchdowns in 11 games before his injury. Bell, who was coached last season by former New England Patriots wide receiver Deion Branch, has drawn comparisons to new Patriots wide receiver A.J. Brown because of his size and skill set.

He's arguably the most talented of the three wide receivers the Dolphins drafted — Caleb Douglas was first and Kevin Coleman Jr. came after Bell — and there's basically no way he would have lasted until the third round if not for the knee injury.

"I'll say we were really excited to add him," GM Jon-Eric Sullivan said around draft time. "I think most would tell you if he wouldn't have gotten injured, he's probably not sitting there anywhere close to where we got him. It was one of those deals where it sounds like he's healing up great. I won't put a date on it. We would expect him to help us this year, but it's a long-term investment. We felt like the talent is very high. The upside is very high, and it's again, a long-term investment with kind of looking down the road. We think we got a really good one."

Exactly when the Dolphins will get to see up close what they got with Bell remains to be determined, but this will be a case where they can only hope the wait will become worth the while.