Hill explains why he opted against surgery. And Campbell addresses 2025, Dolphins notes
A six-pack of Dolphins notes on a Thursday afternoon:
▪ Receiver Tyreek Hill said doctors broached the idea of surgery on his injured left wrist, but he has decided against it.
“I’ve been talking to a lot of people about this particular injury,” Hill said in a brief media session on Thursday. “At the end of the day, I’ve just got to suck it up and deal with the pain. It is going to get worse the more I play. But I’ve got to gut it out for my team. I’m here. I’m locked in no matter what, no matter how I feel. Even if I have to cut my wrists off, I’m still out there because I love the game of football.
“Surgery was brought up. It was talked about whenever I talked to a few of the doctors. But it’s my call at the end of the day. And my call is to stay out on the field.”
Will he need surgery on the wrist after the season? “When that time comes around, I’ll be in a good space to make that decision,” he said. “Right now I’m not going to give you a straight out answer.”
Hill said the injury (“a small, little wrist injury, nothing too crazy”) was sustained in a preseason practice with Washington and has been re-aggravated over the course of the season. Asked if being handcuffed by police before the regular-season opener made it worse, he said, “I wouldn’t say that.”
ESPN had quoted Hill as saying that being handcuffed and detained by police had made the injury worse.
Dolphins receiver coach Wes Welker said the injury isn’t affecting Hill’s play.
▪ Dolphins right guard Liam Eichenberg said it will be “cool” to face his brother this week, Raiders linebacker Tommy Eichenberg, a fifth-round rookie from Ohio State.
Eichenberg insisted that he wasn’t acting when he fell to the ground Monday after being head-butted by Bobby Brown III.
Falling over “was reasonable,” Eichenberg cracked. “He hit me pretty hard. I wasn’t expecting him to hit me that hard.”
Eichenberg has a savvy knack for needling opponents. Sometimes, he can draw them into penalties, which happened Monday when Brown responded to Eichenberg’s slight shove with a head-butt.
Is there an art to that? “If you are around the ball somewhat, and the [referees] warn you about doing something, you have to kind of pull off,” Eichenberg said. “If it’s legal, it’s fine. Just got to be smart.”
Eichenberg seemed surprised when told that some people on social media have noticed his unique ability to irritate opponents.
“Nobody has really brought it up,” he said. “I try to play through the whistle. That’s all I have to say. Luckily it worked out [Monday]. Got a penalty for us. Sometimes it doesn’t work out that way. I’ve got to be smart about what I’m doing.”
▪ Calais Campbell, 38, said he hasn’t decided if he will play next season.
“I’ve always been in the mind-set of whenever you get on the field, burn rubber and go as hard as I can go,” he said. “When the offseason comes, I’ll figure out when that comes. Next year doesn’t exist to me right now. I’m playing this year as if it’s my last. I’m trying to do everything I can to empty the tank. If the offseason comes around, and I feel good still, we’ll figure it out then.”
▪ Campbell, in his first year with the Dolphins, was asked about his former Ravens teammate DeShon Elliott saying that the the majority of last season’s Dolphins were not “mentally tough individuals” and that the team was soft:
“Define soft. The guys I go to work with every day I believe in. They’re tough. And we’re going to show it, right? It’s a critical part of our season… Guys are showing the mental toughness you need to make a run. DeShon is a guy I like, a good teammate when I was teammates with him. His opinion, for us, doesn’t matter. His opinion means nothing to me.”
▪ Dolphins guard Robert Jones (knee) returned to practice on a limited basis, raising hopes that he might be able to play on Sunday against visiting Las Vegas (1 p.m., CBS). Tight end Julian Hill, who missed one game with a shoulder injury before returning against the Rams, practiced on a limited basis in a red noncontact jersey.
Cornerback Jalen Ramsey surfaced on the injury report with a knee issue and was limited. Keep in mind that anyone who receives treatment for anything must be on the injury report.
Fullback Alec Ingold (calf) was limited. So were Tyreek Hill, with the wrist, and Isaiah Wynn (quad/knee).
The only Dolphins player who missed practice due to health reasons was Kendall Fuller, who is out indefinitely after sustaining his second concussion in two months.
▪ ESPN ran a piece that listed Jevon Holland as the No. 3 impending free agent, behind Bengals receiver Tee Higgins and Chiefs guard Trey Smith.
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler said: “Holland will not be easy to re-sign. He’s considered a top-five safety in the NFL with versatility that teams covet. Miami’s priority last offseason was Tua Tagovailoa, but it did talk with Holland at some point over the summer about his contractual future and nothing materialized.
“It should be noted that Miami also extended Jalen Ramsey and Tyreek Hill. People I’ve talked to have likened Holland’s situation to defensive tackle Christian Wilkins, whose high market forced him out of Miami without a franchise tag in March. It’s uncertain whether the Dolphins will have the resources to match the demand. The early sense is Holland’s next deal will land somewhere between Xavier McKinney’s four-year, $68 million contract with Green Bay and Antoine Winfield Jr.’s four-year, $84 million extension in Tampa Bay.”
This story was originally published November 14, 2024 at 3:54 PM.
