Is Jaylen Waddle Playing Tonight? Latest Injury Update on Dolphins WR

The Miami Dolphins open the preseason Friday night against the Atlanta Falcons, but the offense you see on the field, at least for Miami, will likely look significantly different from the one you see in Week 1.

The Dolphins have a number of injuries, including a mysterious issue that impacted Jaylen Waddle during Wednesday’s joint practice against Atlanta that actually provides some clarity about whether Waddle will appear in Friday’s game.

Is Jaylen Waddle Playing for Miami Dolphins vs. Atlanta Falcons?

Ninety minutes before kickoff, the Dolphins revealed their plans for Waddle, Tua Tagovailoa, and the rest of the Dolphins starters.

Not dressed, not playing.

Any major player with even a hangnail has been held out — a list that includes Waddle, Raheem Mostert, and (of course) cornerback Jalen Ramsey.

“There’ll definitely be some starters that don’t play,” Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel said Tuesday. “There will probably be some starters that do. And that’s not a punishment. That’s more of like where they’re at in their game and doing right by them so that Week 1, you don’t spend a quarter or half a game getting the bugs or the rust off. That’s not fair to anybody.

“When the games count, they count, so I will reserve even considering those types of decisions until, you know, at least the completion of the second day of the joint practices.”

Jaylen Waddle Injury Update

Waddle got hurt early on in Wednesday’s practice against the Falcons. He caught a pass from Tagovailoa, but when he went to the ground, suffered an undisclosed injury to his torso, apparently to his right side.

He stayed down for a good while — getting attention from medical staffers and McDaniel — before getting up and walking slowly to the locker room for further evaluation.

He was not spotted again on the practice field.

McDaniel spoke to reporters before practice — not after — so it was up to Waddle’s teammates to react to the Dolphins’ unfortunate development.

Tua Tagovailoa on Jaylen Waddle pic.twitter.com/u41MzdZOun

— Adam Beasley (@AdamHBeasley) August 9, 2023

“I couldn’t see what had happened, and I know he made the play, but I think Waddle has probably had one of the best camps on our team this year, and it really started with OTAs from the first day he came; he showed up, and he was locked in,” Tagovailoa said.

“So it’s kind of unfortunate to see something like that happen. I hope that it’s just a couple days or whatever, and I hope he gets better, but I think Waddle has had one of the best camps in this Miami Dolphins 2023 training camp.”

Waddle is entering his third NFL season. In his previous two, he led the team in catches (179) and receiving yards (2,371).