Jaylen Waddle finds himself in a tough spot going into Week 8 of the Miami Dolphins' regular season.
Waddle has been handling responsibilities as the Dolphins' top receiver since Tyreek Hill tore his ACL in Week 4. This emphasized the increase of attention between him and quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, even though the team continues to struggle as they near the halfway point of the season.
Waddle sustained a hamstring injury following the team's Week 7 loss to the Cleveland Browns on Sunday. While he's been active throughout practice, his presence in Thursday's session was limited, according to the injury report ESPN's Marcel Louis-Jacques showed. Other players on the report include Tagovailoa, Storm Duck, Jordan Phillips, Kenneth Grant, and Elijah Campbell among others.
Dolphins-Falcons injury report for Thursday
Jaylen Waddle (hamstrings/rest) downgraded to a limited participant pic.twitter.com/PNounBSHVp
— Marcel Louis-Jacques (@Marcel_LJ) October 23, 2025
What lies ahead for Jaylen Waddle, Dolphins
It's a critical setback for Jaylen Waddle and the Dolphins. As a player who will play a key role in the offense as the top receiver, picking up an injury does deal a blow to their chances.
Waddle has been solid as one of the team's primary receivers. Throughout seven games, he made 30 catches for 405 yards and three touchdowns. As long as he remains active over the course of the season, he could eclipse his numbers from 2021 to 2023. His three-year streak of 1,000 or more yards ended after obtaining just 700 yards in 2024.
Miami has a 1-6 record on the season, holding the third spot in the AFC East Division standings. They are above the New York Jets while significantly trailing the Buffalo Bills and New England Patriots. The team is in need of a major spark to finally shake off the struggles and get everyone back on the right page of winning games.
The Dolphins seek their second win of the year, being on the road. They face the Atlanta Falcons on Oct. 26 at 1 p.m. ET.
