The Miami Dolphins receiver is looking to reclaim the magic from 2023 and 2024.
Tyreek Hill needs a rebound.
Coming off of his worst season in Miami, the Dolphins’ wide receiver enters the 2025 campaign under the microscope as the question remains: What does Hill have left in the tank?
If you ask Hill, after undergoing offseason wrist surgery, he feels he is in a good position to bounce back.
“I feel great — in a way better spot than I was last year,” said Hill during the team’s offseason program in late May. “Zero pain, and I’m glad that me and the Dolphins took the step of actually having surgery. Because at first, I was nervous. But I’m actually glad I did it.”
His comments aside, a closer examination of Hill’s performance during the 2024 season reveals some cause for concern when considering his ability to continue impacting the game at the level he has since entering the league in 2016.
A down 2024 season for Hill coincided with an injury-riddled year for him and Miami’s starting quarterback, Tua Tagovailoa, who was lost due to a concussion sustained amid a Week 2 matchup against the Buffalo Bills. The injury cost Tagovailoa a portion of that game against the Bills, along with four additional games from Weeks 3-7. During that stretch, Hill’s production took a significant step back from what we’ve grown accustomed to seeing from one of the league’s most dynamic pass catchers and never truly recovered, even after the return of the team’s signal caller.
Throughout Tagovailoa’s four-game absence, Hill averaged just 3.5 receptions and 39 yards receiving per game, failing to find the end zone during that stretch. Upon Tagovailoa’s return, Hill’s production increased incrementally, but still nowhere near what we have come to expect. Over his final 11 games of the season, Hill recorded just two games of 100-plus yards receiving and an average of 60.4 yards per contest. He had recorded 15 games of 100-plus yards receiving combined over the previous two seasons.
Another concerning statistic stemming from Hill’s 2024 campaign was 11.8 yards per reception, his lowest mark since being traded from Kansas City to Miami. With much of the Dolphins’ focus now placed on keeping Tagovailoa upright — a tricky proposition in recent years — the short passing game the team featured last year led to a diminishing role for Hill as a deep threat, which could also downplay his overall effectiveness moving forward. Particularly considering the offensive line remains one of Miami’s significant question marks positionally entering training camp following the retirement of its best lineman, Terron Armstead.
One could argue that the early season injury sustained by Tagovailoa thwarted the momentum of the entire Dolphins’ offense. But how Hill and the Dolphins finished the year further called into question whether the 31-year-old weapon may have started to hit a wall that many wide receivers suddenly encounter after the age of 30.
In 2024, there were only 22 wide receivers in the NFL who were over the age of 30. Of that group, just two recorded 1,000-plus-yard seasons: Tampa Bay’s Mike Evans (1,004 yards) and Davante Adams (1,063 yards), who spent time in Las Vegas and New York. Two bigger, more physical receivers than Hill, who relies more so on speed and athleticism to get the most out of his 5-foot-11 frame.
There remains reason to worry about Hill’s prospects as the key piece of the Dolphins’ offense. And if he fails to regenerate the top-level production we saw from him during the 2022 and 2023 seasons, Miami’s entire attack will likely suffer as a result.
Since the start of the 2023 season, the Dolphins are 11-0 in games when Hill exceeds 100 yards receiving, scoring an average of 34.6 points in those wins. When Hill fails to exceed 100 yards in a game over the past two years, Miami is a dismal 7-16 and averages 18.6 points per contest.
Hill’s significance within Miami and head coach Mike McDaniel’s offensive scheme cannot be understated, which should produce a bit of trepidation when reviewing his performance from a year ago.
But let’s take a quick look at the bright side.
Despite a down year production-wise, Hill still compiled 959 yards receiving on 81 receptions while being selected to his eighth consecutive Pro Bowl. That was without his QB for four games and while dealing with a wrist injury that he has since had repaired. If he and Tagovailoa can remain healthy and get back on the same page, there is hope this tandem can produce some more magic.
With that said, there are extraneous circumstances surrounding Hill’s 2025 season that could lead to another disappointing season for the nine-year pro. Age, health and the other factors previously discussed will create an uphill battle for the aging star as he hopes to reclaim his vaunted status as one of the league’s most dangerous players.
“Every day you’ve got to prove who you are,” said Hill. “It doesn’t matter how much you’ve earned or how much success you’ve had in this league. It’s always the next-day mentality.
“Every day I’m trying to prove myself as one of those guys that this team can depend on in crucial moments.”
Hill’s quest to prove himself will resume as Miami hits the practice field for training camp this week.
