Dolphins’ standout rookie receiver gets terrible injury news
A bitter aftertaste to Sunday’s sweet Dolphins victory:
Preston Williams, the team’s breakout rookie receiver, is out for the season.
He suffered a torn left ACL, according to a league source, while returning a punt in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s game and left the field on a cart. Williams underwent further examination Monday, and team doctors determined he will not play again in 2019.
Dolphins coach Brian Flores announced the news during his Monday news conference. He would not disclose the exact nature of Williams’ injury, nor would he speculate on a timetable for return.
Williams will surely miss spring practices, which start in five months. And it’s undetermined if he’ll be ready for training camp in late July; the normal time frame for a return from reconstructive surgery is 9 to 12 months.
But that’s only a rough guideline. Cornerback Cordrea Tankersley tore his ACL almost a year ago to the day, and he still is not on Miami’s active roster.
“It’s a big loss for us,” Flores said. “I talked to him this morning. He’s done an incredible job, really. Came to us as a free agent and has really grown over the last six months, seven months. I was devastated for the kid and he was as well, but I told him this is just a bump in the road. He’ll be back, I believe, if he attacks his rehab and his training the way he did when he got here, he’ll be just fine.”
Williams, undrafted out of Colorado State, would have gotten offensive rookie of the year consideration had he finished the year like he started it. His season ends with 32 catches for 428 yards and three touchdowns — two of which came Sunday against the Jets.
He leaves an enormous hole in the Dolphins’ offense. Who will try to fill it? Likely Albert Wilson and Jakeem Grant, who logged just 25 and 14 snaps Sunday, respectively.
Expect an even bigger role for DeVante Parker too, who already has tied his career high with four touchdown catches this season. He has 28 catches for 400 yards on 52 targets.
“I think we just need the next guy to step up,” Flores said. “They know that. Those guys are up for the challenge. Preston’s a big loss but it opens up opportunities for those other guys.”
With Williams gone, the Dolphins have lost three of their best remaining players in the span of eight days. They traded Kenyan Drake to the Cardinals last Monday, just hours before Xavien Howard suffered his own year-ending knee injury. It is not believed Howard needs surgery and he should be available for the offseason program.
Williams’ loss especially stings because he’s exactly the type of player the Dolphins had hoped to identify and develop in this rebuilding year. They’re looking for core pieces for their 2020 roster, and before his injury, Williams had established himself as exactly that.
“He can be a very good player in this league, but it’s up to him,” Flores said. “There’s a lot of players in this league with a lot of potential, a lot of talent. But it’s up to him to put in the work, put in the preparation, the training, the diet, the sleep, all of it. It all counts. I think he’s definitely on the right track to get the most out of his talent, his ability. In some cases, a setback is a good thing. It allows him to train and really lock in all those other things a little bit earlier than we would have if he played the entire season. That’s the kind of approach he needs to take.”
This story was originally published November 4, 2019 at 2:53 PM.
