Tag: Jaylen Waddle

Jaylen Waddle doubtful, Tyreek Hill questionable vs. 49ers

The Dolphins could be without both Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle on Sunday in their home finale.

The Miami Dolphins’ offense may be without a few keys players Sunday against the San Francisco 49ers.

On Friday, the team listed wide receiver Jaylen Waddle as doubtful and listed wide receiver Tyreek Hill and offensive tackles Terron Armstead and Kendall Lamm as questionable.

Also questionable are linebacker Bradley Chubb and Cameron Goode, who have to be activated from the PUP list this weekend or else their 2024 seasons are officially over.

“I’ll meet with [general manager] Chris [Grier] and talk to both those two individuals,” Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel said of Chubb and Goode. “I would say that during the process we had felt that Cam [Goode] was a little ahead, but I would be remiss if I would rule anybody anything for this game. But optimistic we’ll see one or both here when they’re ready and that’s what we’re making sure that we’re communicative and they’re empowered and feel ready to play football.”

Here’s the full injury report for both teams heading into a Week 16 game at Hard Rock Stadium:

Dolphins injury report

Out

  • LS Blake Ferguson (non-football illness)

Doubtful

  • WR Dee Eskridge (knee)
  • WR Jaylen Waddle (knee)

Questionable

  • OT Terron Armstead (knee)
  • LB Bradley Chubb (knee)
  • LB Cameron Goode (knee)
  • WR Tyreek Hill (wrist/personal)
  • OT Kendall Lamm (back)

49ers injury report

Out

  • RB Isaac Guerendo (foot/hamstring)
  • OT Trent Williams (ankle)

Questionable

  • DL Robert Beal Jr. (ankle)
  • DE Nick Bosa (hip/oblique)
  • LB Dre Greenlaw (Achilles/knee)

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Jaylen Waddle, Tyreek Hill among Dolphins out of Wednesday practice

Receivers Jaylen Waddle and Tyreek Hill were among the eight Dolphins out of practice Wednesday. Tua Tagovailoa was limited.

The Miami Dolphins kept eight players out of practice Wednesday, including wide receivers Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle.

Hill has regularly missed Wednesday practices this season after suffering a wrist injury in August. As usual, veterans Terron Armstead, Calais Campbell, and Jordan Poyer were also held out of the first practice session of the week.

Waddle suffered a knee injury in the team’s Week 15 loss to the Houston Texans. While head coach Mike McDaniel said the receiver avoided serious damage, his availability for this Sunday against the San Francisco 49ers is in doubt.

Another noteworthy newcomer on the injury report is quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, who was limited with a hip issue.

Wednesday participation

DNP

  • OT Terron Armstead (knee)
  • DT Calais Campbell (rest)
  • WR Dee Eskridge (knee)
  • LS Blake Ferguson (non-football illness)
  • WR Tyreek Hill (wrist/rest)
  • OT Kendall Lamm (back)
  • S Jordan Poyer (rest)
  • WR Jaylen Waddle (knee)

Limited

  • LB Bradley Chubb (knee)
  • FB Alec Ingold (ankle)
  • QB Tua Tagovailoa (hip)

Full

  • RB De’Von Achane (groin)
  • LB Cameron Goode (knee)

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Jaylen Waddle knee injury is ‘not major,’ won’t require surgery

Jaylen Waddle’s status for Week 16 is in question, but he avoided serious damage Sunday.

The knee injury suffered by Miami Dolphins wide receiver Jaylen Waddle isn’t too serious, head coach Mike McDaniel told reporters Monday.

“Not major, not surgery related,” McDaniel said of the injury. “But [Waddle is] in question for this week. Kind of day to day, but avoided anything serious.”

Waddle, 26, limped off the field in the second quarter Sunday after he was rolled upon from behind while blocking.

After a lengthy look in the blue medical tent, the Dolphins ruled Waddle questionable to return, but he spent the remainder of the game watching from the sideline.

Waddle was stacking strong performances in recent weeks with 144 receiving yards and a touchdown in Week 12, and 99 receiving yards in Week 14. Waddle didn’t have any receptions Sunday against the Houston Texans before suffering his injury.

In 14 games this season, Waddle has 54 receptions for 700 yards and two touchdowns. Barring a quick return from injury and stellar play down the stretch, Waddle will likely finish below 1,000 yards for the first time in his career.

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Jaylen Waddle injury vs Texans: Latest news on Dolphins WR

Dolphins wide receiver Jaylen Waddle is dealing with a knee injury. Here are the latest updates.

Miami Dolphins wide receiver Jaylen Waddle suffered a right knee injury Sunday against the Houston Texans when a player rolled into the back of his legs.

After hopping off the field on one leg, play was stopped with Waddle down on the sideline in pain. Eventually, the receiver was helped to his feet and managed to walk under his own power into the blue medical tent.

At the time of the injury, the Dolphins trailed 10-3 in the second quarter and Waddle was without a reception.

Jaylen Waddle injury update

The Dolphins ruled Waddle questionable to return, and while he was never officially ruled out, he never came back into the game. He came out with the team from the locker room in the second half, but was without a helmet and watched the remainder of the game from the sideline.

On Monday, Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel told reporters that the injury was “not major” and won’t require surgery.

How long will Jaylen Waddle be out?

McDaniel said Waddle is “in question for this week” against the San Francisco 49ers and “day-to-day” to return.

Dolphins WR depth chart

Waddle is the clear-cut No. 2 for the Dolphins with eight-time Pro Bowler Tyreek Hill on the other side. There isn’t much depth after that duo, though.

Miami parted with Odell Beckham Jr. earlier in December and veteran Braxton Berrios is on injured reserve. Rookie Malik Washington has emerged as the team’s third receiver option. River Cracraft and Grant DuBose make up the remainder of the depth chart.

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Mike McDaniel regrets play call on costly fourth down vs. Packers

Mike McDaniel says there was one play call from Thursday night that he’d “absolutely like to have back.”

The Miami Dolphins threatened to make things awfully uncomfortable for the Green Bay Packers in the second half. After a 70-play touchdown drive and a defensive stop, the Dolphins drove over 80 yards and threatened to score another touchdown that would’ve potentially cut Green Bay’s lead to eight.

Instead, a second down run for De’Von Achane from the 1-yard line was stopped for no gain. A third down pass to tight end Jonnu Smith was knocked away by a Packers defender. And finally, Tua Tagovailoa was sacked on fourth down.

“There is a play call that I’d absolutely like to have back,” Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel told reporters of the fourth down play. “It was a collection of things over the four-play process that will be tough for us to swallow when we watch the film.”

On the final play of the drive, Tagovailoa faked a handoff to Achane before looking for a receiver to get open. But only Jaylen Waddle and Durham Smythe, who were both tightly covered, even made it across the goal line before Packers pass rushers swallowed up Tagovailoa.

The other three options never came close to getting free. Alec Ingold tripped over the leg of right tackle Kendall Lamm, and both Achane and Julian Hill struggled to find their way through traffic in the middle of the field. The result was a disastrous fourth down call that never had a chance.

According to Tagovailoa, Ingold was the first read on the play.

“I had seen Alec [Ingold] fall and as I got through to Jaylen [Waddle], I couldn’t really navigate to see if he won his matchup or not,” Tagovailoa said. “By that time I was just trying to maneuver through the pocket and hopefully find an opening to find somebody on a scramble drill.”

The turnover on downs essentially slammed the door on the Dolphins’ comeback bid and the Packers nailed the coffin shut with a 78-yard drive capped by a field goal that pushed their lead to 19.

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Dolphins WR says he ‘needs a break’ from his signature touchdown dance

The penguin waddle is on hiatus.

When Jaylen Waddle scored a touchdown Sunday against the New England Patriots, he changed up his usual celebration.

Instead of his signature penguin waddle, the Miami Dolphins wide receiver busted out a much different touchdown dance.

After the game, Waddle told reporters that they probably won’t see his waddle any time soon.

“It was getting like out of hand,” Waddle said. “When I go out in public, people be trying to tell me to do it, so it’s just like, eh. … I don’t know if [I’m] retiring [it]. I don’t know. I don’t know if it’s retiring. It needs a break for a little minute.”

But even though Waddle isn’t doing the dance anymore, he doesn’t mind that Dolphins owner Stephen Ross was doing it in the owner’s box Sunday.

“Mr. Ross be hitting it, though,” Waddle said. “He be hitting it.”

Waddle finished Sunday with eight receptions for 144 yards — the second highest yardage total of his career.

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Dolphins player of the game, Week 12: WR Jaylen Waddle

Dolphins wide receiver Jaylen Waddle put together one of the best performances of his career in a 34-15 win against New England.

Miami Dolphins wide receiver Jaylen Waddle put together a signature performance against the New England Patriots.

The fourth-year receiver recorded eight receptions for 144 yards — the second highest total of his career — and a touchdown in a 34-15 win for the Dolphins.

Waddle’s 23-yard touchdown gave the Dolphins a 31-point lead, effectively putting the game out of reach, despite a late 15-point surge by New England in the fourth quarter.

It was without a doubt Waddle’s best game of 2024 with the receiver recording season-highs in receptions and yards. With Tyreek Hill still dealing with a wrist injury, the Dolphins have needed Waddle to step up in a big way. Prior to Sunday, his only 100-yard performance came in Week 1 against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

His Week 12 performance showed that he has the ability to take over a game with momentum-changing plays. Waddle recorded receptions that picked up 29 and 24 yards, in addition to his 23-yard touchdown. Six of Waddle’s eight receptions resulted in a first down and a seventh was a touchdown.

Since selecting Waddle in the 2021 NFL draft, the Dolphins are now 9-3 in games when Waddle records at least 100 yards. If he can continue to perform at a high level in addition to Hill and De’Von Achane’s contributions, it will be very difficult for the rest of the AFC to keep the Dolphins out of the playoffs.

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Raiders’ Antonio Pierce says Dolphins remind him of legendary offense

Raiders coach Antonio Pierce says one of the most prolific offenses in NFL history comes to mind when he watches the Dolphins.

The Miami Dolphins offense is loaded with talent, but has underachieved for much of the 2024 season. After leading the NFL in offensive yardage a year ago, the Dolphins rank 20th in yards this season and 30th in points scored.

Las Vegas Raiders coach Antonio Pierce remains impressed with Miami’s offensive skill players, though. So much so, that he thinks the Dolphins offense is reminiscent of one of the greatest groups in NFL history: The Greatest Show on Turf.

“The Rams. On the turf,” Pierce said Friday when asked what offense comes to mind when he watches the Dolphins. “When they were rolling with Kurt Warner and [Torry] Holt and [Isaac] Bruce and Marshall Faulk. Even later on down the road, didn’t even matter if it was on grass, they were fast. Like it was on you right now. The speed is legit. You can’t mimic it. We’re doing the best we can in practice.

“But the good part about it like I said, we went against these guys last year and really felt the speed of [Tyreek] Hill and [Jaylen] Waddle and those guys over there. So we understand that, and we respect it. But at the at the end of the day, with speed you have put hands on them, right? Physicality needs to show up.”

The St. Louis Rams earned the Greatest Show on Turf nickname when they led the NFL in both scoring and offensive yardage for three consecutive seasons between 1999 and 2001. Warner, Faulk, and Bruce are all Hall of Famers and Holt has been a finalist for induction in each of the last five years.

Miami’s offense has proven capable of making big plays and putting up big numbers, but a comparison to the turn-of-the-century Rams may be praise that’s a little too lofty.

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Dolphins offense reminds Raiders HC Antonio Pierce of Greatest Show on Turf

Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce drew a strong comparison between the Dolphins offense and that of the Rams ‘Greatest Show on Turf’.

Much has been made this week about the sheer speed the Dolphins possess on offense. With the likes Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle, Raheem Mostert, and De’Von Achane, they have elite speed. Or as Raiders DC Patrick Graham put it ‘they can run-run‘.

Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce played in the league for nine years from 2001-09. And when he was asked Friday what offense the Dolphins offense reminds him of, he made a strong comparison.

“The Rams. On the turf,” Pierce said referencing the St Louis Rams’ Greatest Show on Turf offense. “Like that was real. When they were rolling with Kurt Warner and [Tory] Holt and [Isaac] Bruce and Marshall Faulk. Even later on down the road, didn’t even matter if it was on grass, they were fast. Like it was on you right now. The speed is legit. You can’t mimic it. We’re doing the best we can in practice.

“But the good part about it like I said, we went against these guys last year and really felt the speed of Hill and Waddle and those guys over there. So we understand that, and we respect it. But at the at the end of the day, with speed you have put hands on them, right? Physicality needs to show up.”

It’s one thing to have to deal with great speed at receiver where the defense lines up their fastest players. It’s another thing to then also have to account for the running backs coming out of the backfield as well as making plays in the passing game.

De’Von Achane leads the team in rushing (457) and yards from scrimmage (774). He’s a legit game breaker whose career has been mired by injuries, including when the Raiders faced the Dolphins last season.

“Just dynamic. Everything’s explosive. Everything’s a big gain,” Pierce said of Achane. “Everything’s an explosive gain in the run game, the pass game, route-running. I think, obviously you look at the size, you think a smaller guy, but he runs like a big boy. He runs behind his pads, does a good job. He gets on you fast, and the arm tackles is not going to work with a player like this. You have to chest him up. You have to just put the body blows on him to slow him down throughout the game.”

That’s your Holt, Bruce, and Faulk comps right there. Tua Tagovailoa is a far cry from Kurt Warner, but with those weapons he may not have to be.

‘They can run run’: Raiders DC discusses preparing for Dolphins speed on offense

The Raiders know they will be dealing with serious speed vs the Dolphins week 11. They will set out to keep from getting burnt.

This season, the Raiders have seen a lot of opposing teams run away with games. With their trip to Miami this week, they will be trying to stop the Dolphins players from literally running away from them.

“One, you’ve got to be able to find a way to match up with their speed,” said Raiders DC Patrick Graham. “Whether it’s staying on top, whether it’s to run with them, you’ve got to figure out a way. There’s true speed out there on the field at a number of positions.”

The main focus in terms of speed will be wide receivers Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle. Both of whom are established burners who are electric with or without the ball in their hands.

For the Raiders, it will be hoping that they have enough speed on defense to match up with them.

“There’s several guys that we got on the defense that can run,” Graham continued. “Now, I’m not saying I want to line up and do a foot race with anybody from Miami. These guys can run run. When I say true speed I mean true speed out there on the field. And it’s not limited to [Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle].

“So, for us as a defensive staff, we’ve got to figure out the best way to deploy the defense and try to keep this speed under control a little bit. Take away the space, staying on top, things of that nature. Jakorian [Bennett] in terms of Jakorian and Jack [Jones]. All of our defensive backs. We got guys that can run too, so it’s going to be a fun game in terms of just being able to challenge ourselves. I think that’s the big thing for the players. It’s a good challenge.”

When Graham mentions that the Dolphins’ speed is not limited to Hill and Waddle, he is thinking primarily of running back De’Von Achane and Raheem Mostert. And you could throw QB Tua Tagovailoa in there as well.

In other words, the Dolphins have many different ways they can beat you.

Al Davis was all about speed on both sides of the ball. But the classic Raiders were also all about hard nosed football. For the Raiders, if they can’t match their speed, they must outplay them in physicality.

“One thing Flo (Brian Flores) used to always say ‘You can’t ever forget about the physicality of this game,” Graham continued. “I don’t care how fast it looks, how much they try to make it — whether it’s run and shoot, whether it’s whatever they want to call the different offenses — NFL football is a physical game, especially as you start to move into November and you’re starting to ramp up into after Thanksgiving. You can’t ever forget the physicality of the game.”

So, it will be important for the Raiders to remind the Dolphins this is a physical game. However they need to do that.