Head coach Mike McDaniel and the Miami Dolphins are trying to sort out some injuries in their wide receiver room ahead of the upcoming 2024 NFL season, which is slated to begin in less than three weeks. McDaniel’s squad profiles as one of the highest octane offenses in the league when firing on all cylinders, but unfortunately, the Dolphins are dealing with injuries to their arguably top three receivers.
One of those receivers is former Alabama football star Jaylen Waddle, who has missed two weeks of practice for the Dolphins with an undisclosed injury. However, on Wednesday, the team got some good news when Waddle was back on the field and in uniform during a joint practice with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, via Josh Alper of NBC Sports’ Pro Football Talk.
Meanwhile, star wide receiver Tyreek Hill, who was recently shockingly voted by his peers as the best player in the NFL, was limited to individual work during the practice due to a thumb injury; however, there is no concern about either receiver’s availability to begin the regular season, per Alper.
Meanwhile, key free agent acquisition Odell Beckham Jr. is not expected to practice this week after spending all of training camp on the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) List.
A make or break season for the Dolphins
Over the last few years, the Dolphins have been able to resurrect their franchise from NFL laughing stock to a legitimately good squad, thanks in no small part to the contribution of McDaniel, in addition to their high voltage skill positional players and the reliable presence of Tua Tagovailoa, who recently inked a lucrative contract extension.
However, particularly last year, concerns about the team’s ability to perform against good competition and in less than optimal weather conditions continued to grow louder. Of course, losing in one of the coldest games ever recorded in NFL history vs the two-time Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs isn’t necessarily a cause to hit the panic button, but the Dolphins had been trending in the wrong direction prior to that season-ending playoff loss.
This year, the Dolphins project to once again have one of the top offenses anywhere in the NFL, but the pressure will be on McDaniel and Tagovailoa to deliver results against top competition instead of solely picking on bottom feeders.
In any case, the regular season for the Dolphins is slated to get underway against the Jacksonville Jaguars on September 8.
