Dolphins Receiver Unit Thinned Out by Injuries

Robbie Chosen was evaluated for a concussion in the Week 16 game, and Jaylen Waddle and Tyreek Hill are both nursing ankle injuries

The Miami Dolphins will begin the week of preparation for Sunday's AFC showdown with the Baltimore Ravens short-handed at wide receiver.

Both of Miami's starting receivers are nursing serious left ankle injuries that likely will impact their practice participation, if not their availability, for the game.

And Robbie Chosen, one of the team's most experienced receivers, was evaluated for a concussion after making a catch in the first quarter and did not return to the game.

Jaylen Waddle, whose 72 receptions for 1,014 yards and four touchdowns makes him Miami's second-leading receiver, suffered a high ankle sprain to his left leg in Sunday's 22-20 win over the Dallas Cowboys, and head coach Mike McDaniel admitted those kind of sprains can "be tricky."

"He's a really, really tough player," McDaniel said about Waddle, who became the first Dolphins player in franchise history to produce three straight 1,000-yard receiving seasons last week when he gained 50 yards on his one reception, a deep bomb from quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. 

"He's battled through several things this year, which has made him even more eager just as a playmaker to kind of make up for that with his play," McDaniel continued. "So, yeah, it does give me optimism because of the individual and because of what he has gone through for sure. He's had several several things that have been real, that other players who might take them longer, especially at that position might take them longer to come back from. I do have a lot of confidence in him for that type of thing."

Hill playing through pain

Waddle's running mate, Tyreek Hill, has been nursing a left ankle injury for a couple of weeks, and it forced him to sit out the Jets win in Week 15. But Hill returned to the lineup against the Cowboys and caught nine passes for 99 yards and was demanding the ball in the fourth quarter when the game was on the line.

Hill, who has spent most of this season as the NFL's leading receiver, is clearly at the point where he's playing through the pain and favoring the injury, but that hasn't stopped him from being the dynamic weapon he's been throughout his eight-year career. 

However, Hill's practice participation has been limited on Wednesdays for the past couple of weeks with the goal of getting him to game day.

The question with Chosen, who has caught four passes for 126 yards and scored a touchdown in the seven games he's played this season, is whether he entered the concussion protocol, which would require him to participate in two practices without suffering any effects of his concussion before he could be activated.

No Dolphins player who suffered a concussion in a game has been active the following week this season, so the odds of him being available are slim based on precedent.

Receivers must step up

Expect fellow Cedrick Wilson Jr., Braxton Berrios, River Cracraft and Chase Claypool to handle a larger work load this week in practice. Each of those receiver have specific roles in Miami's offense, and strengths as a receiver, and the Dolphins typically build their game plan around who is practicing well that week.

For the past two months it's been Wilson, who has contributed 245 yards and two touchdowns on 19 receptions, who has handled a bigger slice of the pie.

And if Waddle and Chosen are sidelined, the Dolphins would be missing a speed-oriented receiver to space the field vertically, which might open the door for Anthony Schwartz, a former Auburn standout who has been timed running a 4.25 40-yard dash time, to be elevated from the practice squad. But that would happen on Saturday only if he's got a full grasp of the team's playbook and has practiced well.

Another option is Braylon Sanders, who has been part of Miami's practice squad for the past two seasons. Sanders played in three regular season games for the Dolphins last season, contributing 17 yards on two receptions.

The Dolphins Playoff Picture After Week 16