Miami Dolphins wide receiver Jaylen Waddle is in concussion protocol following a helmet-to-helmet hit in Sunday night’s win at New England.

Waddle had four catches for a game-high 86 yards before getting hit by Patriots rookie safety Marte Mapu with about five minutes remaining in Miami’s 24-17 win. Mapu was flagged for unnecessary roughness and Waddle went directly to the blue tent for evaluation.

Waddle, 24, will have to clear the NFL’s protocol if he wants to be on the field Sunday when the Dolphins (2-0) host the Denver Broncos (0-2).

Waddle has eight catches for 164 yards through two games. He has 187 receptions for 2,535 yards and 14 scores in 35 games (all starts) since Miami drafted him with the No. 6 overall pick in 2021.

Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel also updated the injury status for running back Salvon Ahmed and linebacker Jaelan Phillips on Monday.

Ahmed exited with a groin injury in the second quarter after rushing for 13 yards and catching three passes for 28 yards.

“It’s not an overly long situation,” McDaniel said of the timetable for Ahmed’s return.

Phillips sat out Sunday’s game after sustaining a back injury in Friday’s practice. The 2021 first-round draft pick (18th overall) was held out for precautionary reasons, McDaniel said.

“From a medical perspective, we thought it wasn’t worth the risk,” the coach said. “Long-term vision, we felt he may be at risk for a bigger issue if he would have played.”

–Field Level Media