New Dolphins coach discusses what he notices about Tyreek Hill, other receivers
Accountability is a talking point with these 2025 Dolphins, and in that regard, new receivers coach Robert Prince apparently isn’t going to let anything slide.
“They’re very strict,” receiver Jaylen Waddle said of Prince and new passing game coordinator Bobby Slowik. “They’re very [much] on the little details in the offense, and they just harp on the little things every day. They hold us accountable to the same standard no matter the circumstances.”
So far, so good, according to Prince.
Tyreek Hill, who was reportedly tardy at times last season, has spoken of needing to do everything correctly and setting a good example.
“They’re doing everything that we’re asking,” Prince said when asked about Hill and Waddle. “I always tell [the receivers], ‘Hey, you’re going to know when I like it and you’re going to know when I don’t like it.’ They bought in and it’s been great.”
Hill said he’s even taking notes for the first time in his career. He didn’t do that with former receivers coach Wes Welker, who was not retained.
“We start our meetings and I always tell those guys, ‘Hey, take your notebooks out because maybe I might say something that might be earth-shattering,’” Prince said. “We always talk about how taking notes helps crystallize the thoughts in their minds. So we have those guys write things down.”
Prince, who spent the past three seasons as the Dallas Cowboys’ wide receiver coach, offered insight on several of his receivers:
▪ On Hill: “Since I’ve been here, Tyreek has been great. This is the only Tyreek I know. He’s been a leader of the group. There’s so many things I could say about that guy. No issues, leads by example, wants to be coached. I told him that I’ve got to be able to coach him the hardest for us to be a good group.”
▪ On Waddle: “He’s a naturally gifted athlete, receiver. The things that we’ve been working on are starting to show up with his releases.”
▪ On Malik Washington, who’s competing for the No. 3 job: “His releases have gotten better, and the top of routes have gotten better to create separation.”
▪ On veteran Nick Westbrook-Ikhine: “He’s a pro. He’s one of those guys that he knows all the [receiver positions]. He’s done a nice job. He’s a big body. It’s nice to have a big target.”
▪ On undrafted rookies Theo Wease Jr. (who’s 6-2) and Andrew Armstrong (6-4), who both received $234,000 guarantees: “Wease, him and Drew, both of them are big bodies. Theo’s a guy that we brought in because we had some smaller guys and we wanted a big body. We got him learning a couple of positions.”
▪ On undrafted receivers Monaray Baldwin and AJ Henning: “Monaray is another guy that brings speed. He’s been mostly in the slot and he’s been pretty dynamic with the ball in his hands.”
“AJ is doing great as a punt returner. He’s a guy we have playing a couple spots and you know probably the most improved out of the rookies so far. It’ll be fun to see these guys against Chicago” (1 p.m. Sunday, CBS 4, NFL Network).
▪ On Tahj Washington, who missed his rookie season with a lower-body injury: “Obviously he was hurt last year, but he’s doing a great job of learning. And we’ve got him moving around a little bit. You see his speed out there and his quickness and he’s been pretty dynamic with the ball.”
▪ Prince has conveyed several points of emphasis with his group. Among them: “Sometimes they know they’ve got to run for the love of the game to help the other guys get open. And we talk about getting the assist. We’re always talking about, ‘Hey, you got the assist on this play.’”
Prince said “they also have all bought into the blocking aspect and understanding that the run game is obviously very important and getting to those blocks on the nickels and the linebackers are going to be very important.”
This story was originally published August 5, 2025 at 2:29 PM.
