Dolphins’ Hafley addresses injuries, potential changes, Willis’ play, other issues

Dolphins receiver Caleb Douglas’ status for Sunday’s game against the Chiefs is in question because of an ankle injury.

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Coach Jeff Hafley said it’s too early to tell if Douglas will be able to play in Sunday’s home opener (1 p.m., CBS).

If Douglas cannot play, that could mean an opportunity for veteran Jalen Tolbert, the former Cowboys starter who has been inactive for the first two games.

Hafley said he recently told Tolbert “how much I appreciate… how he’s accepting his role. I told him his time is going to come and we are going to need him. His job is to be the best teammate he can be with guys playing ahead of him. His time will come and I truly believe that. I have a great admiration for how he’s approached it.”

Besides Douglas, running back Jaylen Wright also left the game and did not return. Wright, who departed in the second quarter with a stinger, is day to day, Hafley said.

Edge player Chop Robinson, who missed Sunday’s game, has improved but remains in concussion protocol. This is Robinson’s third reported concussion in his two-plus years in the league.

Hafley addressed other issues on Monday:

▪ Receiver Chris Bell’s snap counts have been limited because of several factors, including working himself back into condition after last November’s torn ACL. And “we had limited reps yesterday,” Hafley said.

▪ Here’s what pleased Hafley in the 35-13 loss to the 49ers: He likes how hard the team is playing, noting that “has jumped off the tape. I thought we played really good run defense against one of the better run offenses. I’m not talking about scrambles. Christian McCaffrey had 10 carries [for 23 yards]. We are playing better against the run.

“Offensively, we ran the ball better yesterday, which was good to see. We should have had 13 points against a really good team in the first half. When you are looking at things to build off, [those are some].”

▪ On how Malik Willis has played: “There are moments when the ball is out on time; he’s been extremely accurate. Kept drives alive with his legs. It’s the consistency right now. It’s getting comfortable with the guys around him. When they know you’re going to drop back, it’s going through the progressions, being on time. There are a lot of quarterbacks working on” that early in the season.

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▪ Has he considered making personnel changes among starters or rotation players? “We have to make sure there’s constant competition. There are certain positions I’d be lying if I didn’t say there were those conversations and we have to continue to have those conversations.”

▪ On rookie safety Michael Taaffe: “He’s an instinctual player who’s around the ball quite a bit. There are things he will clean up. He’s a guy I am really pleased with the way he’s playing. There’s a lot of room to improve.”

▪ On communication breakdowns on passing plays involving George Kittle and others, Hafley said: “We had some busts that are unlike us that I hadn’t seen in practice or camp. We need to communicate better in there. We looked really hard to figure out why that happened…. That was the biggest issue yesterday.”

▪ On the team’s spirits: “Win or lose, there shouldn’t be a difference. You can’t let circumstance dictate your behavior. Win or lose, we have to look really hard at the film. We can’t have [people] moping around or people afraid to say hello to me. We’ve got to get better and fix it. The foundation is going to be laid where we are not going to act a certain way.”

▪ Hafley said the pre-snap penalties are the ones that particularly irk him. “Those in a critical situation. Those are things we have to get [fixed]. There has to be sense of urgency with that.”

▪ Hafley confirmed that the Dolphins poached linebacker Andre Jones Jr. off the Bills’ practice squad, confirming that decision was fueled by a desire to upgrade on special teams, as well as on defense. Inside linebacker Liam Anderson was released.

▪ Asked about a message to fans heading into the home opener Sunday, Hafley said, among other things, that he’s excited and “we have a team that’s young and giving everything they have. First home game, get out and support the team. Make it loud.”

Here’s my Monday smorgasbord of notes, playing time nuggets, grades and more on offense.

Here’s my Monday potpourri of notes, playing time nuggets, grades and more on defense.

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This story was originally published September 21, 2026 at 5:03 PM.