SerpApi.Org
One of the Miami Dolphins’ top draft picks has landed on the non-football injury list.
The Dolphins placed wide receiver Chris Bell on the active/NFI list on Tuesday, just months after the former Louisville standout was selected in the third round of the 2026 NFL Draft.
Bell, who sustained a torn ACL during a late November game against SMU, remains in rehab. The injury occurred to his days in the NFL, hence the designation.
“I’m not sure how you would define close,” Dolphins coach Jeff Hafley said of Bell in May. “He’s running around. He’s with the strength and conditioning guys. He’s with our trainers, and he’s doing his rehab. When he’ll be ready, I’m not sure if there’s a timetable for that yet, coming off that surgery. He’ll be out there. You guys will get a chance to see him out there as well.”
It’s not a stretch to say that Bell likely would’ve been a first-round pick if it weren’t for the gruesome injury. Through 11 games, Bell had racked up 72 catches for 917 yards receiving and six touchdowns. There’s a real chance that he could be the Dolphins’ WR1 when healthy.
“Most would tell you if he wouldn’t have gotten injured, he’s probably not sitting there anywhere close to where we got him,” general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan said.
Added Sullivan: “The talent is very high. The upside is very high. And it’s a long-term investment, looking down the road, we’ve got a really good one.”
Bell, however, plans to use his draft position as motivation.
“I’ve been having this ranking on the front of my home screen since this predraft started,” Bell said, referring to a “college ranking of all the receivers” that included him “kind of at the bottom of the list.”
“It’s going to be in my mind,” Bell continued.
Bell started three of his four years at Louisville, yet it was until the 2024 season that he truly shined as he finished with 43 catches for 737 yards and four touchdowns. As a senior, he posted a per game average of 83.4 receiving yards which ranked second in the ACC.
At 6-foot-2 and 222 pounds, Bell possesses a strong build and excels after the catch thanks to his rare acceleration for a player of his size. Miami Hurricanes fans might remember him from his nine-catch, 136-yard and two-touchdown performance in the Cardinals’ 24-21 upset of UM. That matchup, however, was actually the final of three consecutive games where the star wideout recorded at least nine grabs for more than 100-yards and a touchdown.
