Chris Bell dominated the last time he played in Hard Rock Stadium.
A 24-21 upset of the Miami Hurricanes, the matchup saw the then-Louisville receiver catch nine balls for 136 yards and two touchdowns. Tragedy would strike a roughly a month later — a torn ACL in his left knee that caused a draft stock to implode — yet it wouldn’t deter young receiver.
The next opportunity that Bell would have to play in Miami Gardens wouldn’t be as glamorous. He’d end the game with two grabs for 22 yards in the Miami Dolphins’ 17-12 loss to the Atlanta Falcons in the preseason finale but the significance of his return, just eight months after the initial injury, bodes well for the start of his NFL career.
“Just to step back out there on the field for my first NFL game being in Miami’s stadium, it felt pretty good,” Bell said. “So I’m just blessed, had the opportunity to be out there with some of my with my brothers.”
One thing, however, didn’t change in the nine months since his coming out party against the Hurricanes: the targets. In both instances, Bell was the focal point of the offense. The former Louisville standout was heavily peppered Friday night, accumulating five targets in Miami’s first three drives.
This was no coincidence.
“It was intentional to get him involved early,” coach Jeff Hafley said. “The read and the coverage probably dictated that more, but we definitely wanted to try to get him involved early because he was going to be on a pitch count.”
Despite the excitement surrounding Bell’s return to game action, Friday night wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows.
Take the shot that he took in first quarter, for example. A third-down pass courtesy of quarterback Cam Miller found Bell just as he got out of the break of his slant route. The issue: two Falcons defensive backs blanketed the rookie, leading to a devastating hit that caused him to drop the pass.
Bell stayed down momentarily. A teammate soon walked over, helped him to his feet and the duo jogged off the field. When asked about the hit, Bell assuaged any questions that it took a toll on him.
“I trust my knee a lot,” Bell said. “After taking that hit, it didn’t really hurt. I was just laying there because I was a little tired. I’m not going to lie, and I haven’t played football in eight months. I’m still trying to get in that football shape. But I needed it. It was a welcome to the NFL. I needed it to break the ice. I needed to get tackled.”
That Bell returned eight months after the initial area was a surprise, to say the least. The senior receiver had racked up 72 catches for 917 yards receiving and six touchdowns in the 11 games before the injury. With his 82.4 yards per game good enough for second in the ACC, Bell had even been projected to be a first-round pick before the injury.
“A lot of people didn’t give him a chance to get back until a lot later, which is why he probably was drafted where he is,” Hafley said, before praising Dolphins strength coach Todd Hunt and trainer Kyle Johnston. “He’s attacked it and those guys did a great job with him.”
Bell, however, couldn’t be more enthusiastic for the opportunity. Everything, he stressed, happens for a reason. In other words, Miami was his destiny.
“Honestly, I was projected to go late first round, early second round,” Bell said. “I’m going to always put God, and it was God’s plan. His plan was to not have me at the top too early, and I think what I know, because it’s always been like that in my life – start from the bottom because you know where I’m from, I always got it out the mud. I’m just happy to be a Dolphin, and I’m ready to take on any challenges that come in front of me and I know I’m going to end up on top.”
Miami Herald
C. Isaiah Smalls II is a sports and culture writer who covers the Miami Dolphins. In his previous capacity at the Miami Herald, he was the race and culture reporter who created The 44 Percent, a newsletter dedicated to the Black men who voted to incorporate the city of Miami. A graduate of both Morehouse College and Columbia Graduate School of Journalism, Smalls previously worked for ESPN’s Andscape.