As the season winds to a close, the Tua-Tyreek connection must end on a high note
Miami Dolphins receiver Tyreek Hill made headlines Sunday when he suggested his need for more practice.
“At the end of the day, I need those valuable reps with Tua [Tagovailoa],” Hill said after a middling performance against the San Francisco 49ers that was highlighted by a dropped touchdown catch. “Those vet rest days are starting to show. I completely blame myself for not getting my head around and not seeing the ball because, if I see a ball, we’re talking cross-court, 70-yard touchdown. But those Wednesday reps are definitely showing.”
Such is the life of a 30-year-old, elite receiver with a torn ligament in his wrist that has likely been the catalyst behind a down season that could see him not even crack the 1,000-yard mark. Still, he hasn’t complained. He hasn’t made excuses. And he hasn’t even missed a game. But as the Dolphins search for motivation, the Hill-Tagovailoa connection needs to be firmly reestablished for the season to truly end on a high note. A Cleveland Browns defense that ranks middle of the pack against the pass would be the best to do that.
“Tyreek has been awesome working through the pain that it involves, and it’s hard when you’re trying to catch the ball and do all the things,” offensive coordinator Frank Smith said Thursday. “So I think him working through it and making sure we’re connecting on the same page with timing and all that is going to be, obviously, the utmost importance this week.”
Sure, reigning defensive player of the year Myles Garrett can certainly pose problems for offenses. The Dolphins pass protection, however, has limited elite edge rushers like San Francisco 49ers’ Nick Bosa and Las Vegas Raiders’ Maxx Crosby to a combined nine tackles, only one of which was for a lost. Coach Mike McDaniel indicated that to stop an exceptional defensive end like Garrett will be a collective effort.
“It’s not one person’s job,” McDaniel said Friday. “I think to effectively execute against some of the premier players in this league, especially at the edge position, it takes receivers contributions, tight ends, it takes technique and fundamentals in the pass game – wideouts to be where they’re going to be when they need to be there. It takes conviction from the quarterback to get the ball out to the voided zones. And you have to force all those players that are really, really good at rushing the passer to defend the run.”
The only question that remains is whether Tagovailoa and Hill will be on the same page. It’s certainly worthwhile to ask; the duo only connected three times for 29-yards and a touchdown despite Hill’s seven targets against the Niners. This week’s practice, however, has been good, according to both Tagovailoa and McDaniel.
“We got some reps,” Tagovailoa said Thursday. “I think at this time of the year as well, guys are banged up and it’s sort of toeing the fine line of what reps are the reps that we need and you go from there”
Added McDaniel: “I thought he had a phenomenal week of practice, not only from an execution of assignment perspective but the way he attacked the ball. Drops happen in the game of football. Pretty much 100 percent of the time people are trying to catch it. But there’s technique to catching the football. A lot of times, you get wary of people getting passive when the balls in the air because of past experiences. Not only only was he catching a ton of footballs this week but he was doing so aggressively – on the move, coming back to the quarterback and down the field.”
The potential return of Jaylen Waddle, who the Dolphins listed as questionable for Sunday’s game, could help. Whenever one of the dynamic receiver duo misses time, defenses often key into the wideout that’s active. Just his mere presence can open up Hill a bit more.
“He’s one of the best players in the NFL,” rookie receiver Malik Washington said of Waddle. Washington started in the former Alabama wideout’s place against the Niners. “Just getting him back will add more firepower to the offense.”
Don’t get it twisted: the Dolphins can beat the Browns without a big game from Hill. They’ve had success without the eight-time Pro Bowler’s contributions. The entire football world, however, knows that for Miami to be at its best, the Hill-Tagovailoa connection needs to be rock solid. And what better way to reconfigure their link – as well as destroy a few narratives in the process – than to beat a spiraling Browns team on a chilly afternoon in Cleveland.
This story was originally published December 27, 2024 at 5:23 PM.