Why Tyreek Hill’s solution to the Dolphins’ short-yardage woes was right
One Miami Dolphins tailback didn’t take too kindly to Tyreek Hill’s solution to the team’s short-yardage woes.
The star wideout gave quite the take Friday when asked how the Dolphins could improve in short yardage situations.
“Take [Achane] out on third down,” Hill quipped. “That’s my honest opinion. If it’s third-and-short, he’s not a power back. I keep telling him that in the locker room, but he swears he’s a power back. If I’m being honest, that’s why you got Jaylen Wright.”
Achane didn’t hesitate to respond via X.
“That’s how you feel @cheetah,” Achane tweeted Friday along side a laughing emoji.
And while many were quick to assume controversy, coach Mike McDaniel explained that Hill’s comments simply regurgitated Friday’s short-yardage period.
“I thought it was genius reporting by Tyreek seeing how we had a short-yardage period that very day,” McDaniel said Sunday. “His suggestion was congruent with how [running backs coach Eric] Studesville repped the backs during that short-yardage period.”
As good as Achane has been, the running back isn’t necessarily a short yardage beast: the 5-foot-9-inch, 191-pound tailback is more so known for his speed than power.
Wright, on the other hand, is a bit more stocky. Standing 5-foot-11-inches and weighing 208-pounds, the second-year tailback looks primed to become an option for short yardage situations.
“I know I could be a top back in the league,” Wright said July 24. “I stand on that. And if things play out right this year and I know it will so I’m very confident.”
Wright will likely have some competition to be the go-to guy in short-yardage plays. In the offseason, the Dolphins signed Alexander Mattison and drafted Ollie Gordon II, the 2023 Doak Walker award winner, to bring some depth to their running back room.
“They run hard,” center Aaron Brewer said Sunday. “They some big boys.”
Mattison, specifically, has a bit of reputation as a short-yardage maven.
“It’s definitely something that when you take pride in something, when you understand how important it is and how important it can be and pivotal it can be for your team and for the trajectory of the game, that’s where you emphasize on different things and watched a lot of tape of different backs,” Mattison said in late March. “I think I was also blessed with a certain type of running style and technique that allows me to break tackles and do some things.”
Regardless of how the Dolphins want to address their short-yardage failures, they certainly have options. Elite offensive line play will certainly help but the team appears to have a capable stable of tailbacks that should yield success on the ground.
This story was originally published August 3, 2025 at 12:41 PM.
