Dolphins QB Coach Darrell Bevell Suffered Detached Retina Injury During Training Camp

Miami Dolphins quarterbacks coach and passing game coordinator Darrell Bevell suffered a detached retina in late July that forced him to lie face down for 90 percent of the time over straight days.

Jori Epstein of Yahoo! Sports relayed that news amid her article on Bevell's work with Dolphins signal-caller Tua Tagovailoa.

Per Epstein:

"Bevell was watching film around 11 p.m. on July 30 when he realized his vision was impaired. He covered his right eye: no problem seeing tape or the ceiling. He covered his left: His right eye didn't afford him the same clarity. It was also dry.

"Within 36 hours, Bevell was in surgery, needles puncturing his eyeball in order for a doctor to reattach his retina by laser. A gas bubble soon held his reattached retina in place — accompanied by a strict face-down policy to ensure the bubble didn't spread to the wrong parts of the eye. So Bevell watched practices and Zoomed into meetings from home, alternating between lying on his bed with his head hanging off and using a U-shaped massage table headrest after he no longer needed an eye patch."

Bevell still worked while he was forced to rest, and Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel shared an image of the coach lying face down while watching tape to inspire the team.

Bevell has already done great work with Miami ever since landing with the Dolphins on McDaniel's staff in 2022.

Tagovailoa went from averaging 6.8 yards per attempt in 2021 to 8.9 in 2022. He also threw for a career-high 25 touchdowns and 3,548 passing yards while posting an NFL-best 105.5 quarterback rating,

Granted, the acquisition of star wide receiver Tyreek Hill certainly helped, but Tagovailoa was one of the most improved players in the league last season regardless.

Bevell knows a thing or two about working with star quarterbacks thanks to his time with the Green Bay Packers (Brett Favre) and Seattle Seahawks (Russell Wilson). He'll hope to continue his great work with Tagovailoa in 2023 when the Dolphins begin the season Sunday at the Los Angeles Chargers.