Dolphins’ Waddle dealing with a high ankle injury

Last updated: 2023/12/26 at 1:03 AM

BigP Published December 26, 2023

Marcel Louis-Jacques, ESPNDec 25, 2023, 07:15 PM ET
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MIAMI — Miami Dolphins wide receiver Jaylen Waddle is dealing with a high ankle injury, coach Mike McDaniel said Monday, leaving his status for next week’s game against the Baltimore Ravens in question.

Waddle left Sunday’s 22-20 win over the Dallas Cowboys with what was described as a shin injury and did not return. McDaniel said Monday that Waddle’s injury was actually “more of a high ankle” issue that the team must continue to gather information on.

McDaniel called high ankle injuries “tricky” but was optimistic about Waddle’s prospects, considering his ability to return quickly from injuries in the past.

With Waddle hobbled and wide receiver Robbie Chosen ruled out of Sunday’s game with a concussion, Miami was forced to abandon its plan of a snap count for Tyreek Hill, who returned from a one-game absence with an ankle injury.

Hill finished with 99 yards on nine catches and played 55 of Miami’s 65 offensive snaps.

Waddle caught a 50-yard pass from quarterback Tua Tagovailoa on the Dolphins’ first offensive drive of Sunday’s game, but eye and shin/ankle injuries limited him to just 28 snaps. The catch gave him 1,014 receiving yards for the season — his third straight 1,000-yard season to begin his career.

He is the first player in franchise history to record three consecutive seasons with 1,000 receiving yards.

The Dolphins clinched their second straight playoff berth with yesterday’s win but could capture their first AFC East title since 2008 with a win over the Ravens in Week 17. If they win out, the Dolphins will be the top overall seed in the AFC.