SoFla Guide Editors
Caleb Douglas is back. The Miami Dolphins rookie wide receiver will play Sunday against the New York Jets after missing the past three games with a right ankle injury, the Associated Press reported via WSVN 7News. For a team still hunting its first win of the season, getting one of its more productive pass catchers back on the field is a welcome bit of news heading up to New Jersey.
What happened
Dolphins head coach Jeff Hafley confirmed on Friday, Oct. 23, that Douglas will suit up against the Jets, according to the South Florida Sun Sentinel via Yahoo Sports.
The road back took a full week of practice. Hafley said Douglas returned on a limited basis on Monday, Oct. 19, the Sun Sentinel reported. He was limited again Wednesday and Thursday before going full on Friday.
That Friday session sealed it. Douglas was a full participant and carries no injury designation on the official Week 7 injury report, according to the Miami Dolphins official site and the Sun Sentinel’s David Furones. In plain terms, he is not listed as out, doubtful or questionable.
Hafley sounded hopeful early in the week. “Caleb will be limited today. We’ll see how he looks today and progresses to Wednesday. I think there is optimism there,” he said Monday, per Yahoo Sports.
He added that same day, according to the Miami Herald via Yahoo Sports: “It will be good to get him back out there.”
Douglas, for his part, sounded like a guy happy to be moving again. “Getting back out there, it felt good,” he said after Wednesday’s limited practice, according to the AP via WSVN 7News. “Just being able to run again and being able to move.”
Why Douglas matters to a 0-5 team
The Dolphins entered Week 7 with a 0-5 record, WPTV NBC 5 West Palm Beach reported. Nobody in Miami Gardens needs that number repeated, but there it is.
Douglas made an impression fast. He caught seven passes for 113 yards in his first two games of the 2026 season, according to ESPN, including 94 yards in the Week 1 opener against the Las Vegas Raiders. Even after sitting out three games, he still ranked third on the team in receiving yards entering Week 7.
Not bad for a third-round pick. Miami selected Douglas 75th overall out of Texas Tech in the 2026 draft.
The injury came on Sept. 20, during the second half of a 35-13 loss at San Francisco in Week 2, the AP reported via WSVN 7News. He then missed Weeks 3, 4 and 5. The Dolphins had a bye in Week 6, which gave him a little extra runway.
Shaking off the rust
Don’t expect Hafley to pretend the time away didn’t happen. “He hasn’t played football in a while, so he’s going to need to get back and get the rust off and get back into the rhythm of playing,” the coach said, according to the Miami Herald via Yahoo Sports.
Hafley also offered a line, reported by the AP via WSVN 7News, that any young player who has spent weeks on the sideline might appreciate: “There are some guys that can learn by watching, there are some people that actually have to learn by doing.”
So this weekend, Douglas gets to do.
The rest of the injury picture
Douglas isn’t the only good news for Miami. Running back Jaylen Wright (foot) has also been cleared to play against the Jets, per Hafley on Friday, the Sun Sentinel reported via Yahoo Sports.
The news isn’t all sunny, though. The official Friday injury report on the Dolphins’ site lists:
- CB Reese Taylor (quad): Out
- EDGE Rob Beal Jr. (hamstring): Doubtful
What’s next
The Dolphins visit the Jets at MetLife Stadium on Sunday, Oct. 26, with win No. 1 still out there waiting. Douglas and Wright give the offense two familiar faces back in the mix, and after a winless first five games, Dolphins fans will happily take any spark they can get.
Keep an eye on No. 1 on the injury report heading into kickoff: Douglas, finally, isn’t on it in any meaningful way.
