MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — The Miami Dolphins wide receiver room could receive a boost soon with the return of rookie Chris Bell, who has been sidelined for much of training camp while recovering from a knee injury sustained in college.
Bell has participated in two practices this week after being activated from the non-football injury list on Monday. The third-round draft pick out of Louisville — who at one point was projected to go late in the first round — was recovering from a torn anterior cruciate ligament suffered last November.
“It feels great," Bell said Tuesday. "I haven’t played football in a little minute. So my first practice, I was a little nervous. But I’m just out there getting my feet wet and getting back to the swing of things.”
Bell, wearing a red noncontact jersey, has participated in individual work the past two days and ran a few routes during the 11-on-11 team period on Tuesday. He said he doesn't know yet whether he'll be ready in time for Miami's season opener at Las Vegas on Sept. 13.
The Dolphins have been careful not to rush him back into action. He’s been running and cutting while ramping up for his return but needs to be cleared for tackling.
Coach Jeff Hafley said Bell will not participate in Thursday's joint practice with the New York Giants or play in Saturday's preseason game.
“He worked really hard at it, but there’s still a lot of steps to go, so let’s just see how he progresses,” Hafley said Tuesday. “I mean, with any injury, could there be setbacks? Sure. Could it go smoothly? I hope. I think everyone’s really excited that he’s back. He’s got to get in football shape. He’s got to get in some timing and rhythm with the quarterbacks, but it’s good to have him out there.”
Miami drafted three receivers in April — Bell, Caleb Douglas in the third round and Kevin Coleman Jr. in the fifth — after moving on from stars Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle.
Douglas has been a standout during training camp and has emerged as a top target for new quarterback Malik Willis, and Coleman had a strong practice Tuesday with a pair of touchdown catches. Bell, a bigger-framed 228-pound receiver, could give Miami another solid option to build around in the future.
“I feel like we've got a good receiver room,” Bell said. “The young guys are coming along, right with the vets. I would say we've got a good chance to be something special, so y’all just wait and see.”
Hafley said Bell's physicality stood out when watching his film from Louisville, where he had 2,166 yards receiving and 12 touchdowns.
Bell said he uses his size to his advantage, knowing most defensive backs are smaller than him, adding that he takes as much pride in blocking as he does catching passes.
That's the attitude Hafley wants each of his receivers to have.
“Our receivers are going to block,” Hafley said. “No block, no rock.”
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Miami Dolphins wide receiver Chris Bell speaks with media after practice at the NFL football team's training camp, Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2026, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Alanis Thames)
TOLEDO, Ohio (AP) — Explosions rocked an Ohio industrial recycling business early Tuesday, killing two workers and sparking a large fire, officials said.
Flames and dark smoke poured from Brent Industries in Toledo as fire engines surrounded the building, TV news video showed.
Crews later discovered the bodies of two employees, a man and a woman, inside the smoldering building, said Toledo Fire Chief Allison Armstrong. Two or three other employees had minor injuries, she said.
Two explosions occurred shortly before 5 a.m., during a shift change, Armstrong said. Crews had to deal with hazardous materials, runoff and the threat of more explosions while first searching for victims and accounting for the other employees, she said.
Environmental officials said monitors showed that there was no hazardous threat in the air.
Demetrius Langston said he felt the explosion half a mile (0.8 kilometers) away. He ran outside with his phone and captured video of a huge plume of smoke rising into the dark sky.
“The shock waves came down the block,” he said. “Then we all heard it again. Boom! You could feel it.”
Armstrong said the fire was still burning Tuesday afternoon. She also said there were no preliminary indications of what caused the explosions.
Aerial images showed that nearly all of the building’s roof was gone and that the blast blew out its walls.
The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration said it was investigating. The agency has six months to conduct its investigation and it won't release any more information until that's completed, officials said.
Authorities encouraged people near the site who could see or smell smoke to keep windows and doors closed and avoid the area.
Phone and email messages were left for Brent Industries.
The company, based in Brent, Alabama, offers textile reconditioning and industrial recycling services aimed at reducing waste and saving money, according to its website. It was founded in Alabama in 1977 and has operations in Brent and Toledo.
The company’s Alabama location also had an explosion and fire in 2015 that killed one person.
After that deadly explosion, OSHA determined that flammable vapor from mineral spirits, a petroleum solvent used for cleaning and other purposes, ignited in an industrial washing machine. The company was cited for a half-dozen violations and fined $27,000, according to OSHA records.
Fire officials say tanks containing mineral spirits were at the Toledo plant. The company says on its website that it uses mineral spirits in the cleaning process for work gloves, wiping clothes and other textiles that contain hazardous substances.
In 2004, OSHA cited Brent Industries for two serious violations at its Toledo plant, including failing to protect workers from death or serious harm when they were exposed to a 207-degree Fahrenheit (97 Celsius) steam release from a washing machine, OSHA records show.
Collins reported from Hartford, Connecticut. Associated Press writer Holly Ramer in Concord, New Hampshire, contributed to this report.
This image taken from video provided by WTVG shows firefighters working on the scene after an explosion at an industrial recycling business in Toledo, Ohio, Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2026. (WTVG via AP)
This image taken from video provided by WTVG shows firefighters working on the scene after an explosion at an industrial recycling business in Toledo, Ohio, Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2026. (WTVG via AP)
