Caleb Douglas arrived in Miami as a rookie with a little buzz, but he’s starting to look like something more than a camp curiosity.
The Dolphins took the 6-foot-4 Texas Tech receiver 75th overall in April, and their first depth chart already hinted at a fast track: Douglas was listed with the starters next to Malik Washington and Jalen Tolbert. Then he backed it up in live action, working through Miami’s opening touchdown drive against Washington and snaring a wild one-handed, 28-yard grab from Malik Willis.
That play was the kind that jumps out immediately, the sort of highlight that gets replayed over and over. But the bigger signal might be what followed in practice.
Dolphins analyst Travis Wingfield said Douglas kept showing up, pointing to the rookie’s ability to set up and make explosive cuts and to high-point the football. Wingfield said that has him excited about Douglas’s red-zone upside.
Caleb Douglas's ability to set up and make explosive cuts, with his ability to high-point the football, has me pretty excited about his RZ potential.
- Travis Wingfield (@WingfieldNFL) August 18, 2026
That’s the part worth paying attention to now. Douglas isn’t just flashing on one acrobatic catch. He’s showing the kind of traits that matter when the field shrinks and the offense needs somebody who can win in tighter spaces.
At 6-foot-4, he has the frame to work outside. He has enough speed to threaten downfield.
And in Miami, that combination suddenly looks valuable in a hurry. Tyreek Hill is gone.
Jaylen Waddle is in Denver. There’s no proven No. 1 receiver sitting at the top of the depth chart waiting for Douglas to ease his way in.
The preseason opener reflected that reality too. NFL.com noted that Douglas and Washington looked clearly like the top two receivers in Miami’s group, and only those two were targeted during the starting offense’s 91-yard touchdown drive.
Douglas is still going to make rookie mistakes. That part comes with the territory.
But the idea of him opening the season as a Week 1 starter doesn’t feel like a stretch anymore. It feels like the direction this has been heading all along.
In Other News...
Jacob Rodriguez Is Giving Dolphins Fans One Real Reason For Optimism
A bright spot emerged for the Dolphins during their joint practice against the Giants, and it came from a rookie linebacker who has been drawing attention all summer. Jacob Rodriguez picked off a pass and kept adding to the strong impression he has made throughout training camp, offering Miami a defensive playmaker to watch as the team continues sorting out its roster.
Rodriguez, the Dolphins second-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, has already put himself in position to keep building momentum in a bigger setting. He will get another chance to show what he can do in the upcoming preseason game against New York, where the Dolphins will be looking for more of the same from a young defender who has started to stand out. [Read more 🡒]
Dolphins Make Another Roster Move As Injury Concerns Keep Mounting
A week of roster shuffling kept going for Miami after guard James Ester was waived with an injury designation following a leg injury in a joint practice with the Giants. The Dolphins moved quickly to fill the spot, signing rookie linebacker Stephen Dix Jr. to the active roster as the team continues sorting through the effects of camp injuries and the lineup ripple they create.
Dix brings a fresh look to the back end of the roster after earlier stops with the Cardinals and a college career at Arkansas. For Miami, the move is another reminder that the preseason is as much about staying healthy as it is about evaluating talent, and the Dolphins are now trying to keep both goals in sight as camp moves along. [Read more 🡒]
Kenneth Grant Is Already Facing A Tough Dolphins Reality Check
The Dolphins long view is already running through their young defensive front, and Kenneth Grant sits right in the middle of it. The 2025 first-round pick had a rocky rookie season, but Pro Football Focus still tabbed him as Miamis most likely breakout candidate for 2026, a sign that the intrigue around him has not gone away. Even with the roster adding more depth and the organization evaluating its second- and third-year players, Grant remains one of the names that could shape how this defense looks next season.
The problem is that he is also dealing with an injury, and Jeff Hafley has described the situation as week-to-week. That leaves Grant in an awkward spot, trying to build momentum while the Dolphins sort out where he fits compared with the other defensive tackles on the roster. For a player the team clearly wants to see take a step, the next few weeks will matter just as much as the long-term projection. [Read more 🡒]