Fallout, more details on Tyreek Hill injury. And postscripts from Dolphins win
Fallout from the Dolphins’ 27-21 victory against the Jets at Hard Rock Stadium on Monday, a night marred by Tyreek Hill’s serious knee injury:
▪ Hill’s injury, a dislocated left knee, is “career threatening,” according to former Chargers team doctor David Chao, who now works for Sirius XM and Fox Sports Radio.
“Let’s hope it’s not career ending,” Chao said, adding that Hill’s ”severe knee dislocation is considered a true orthopedic emergency. This type of injury can damage the artery and stretch the nerve. Hopefully that is not the case here. That risk is why he was immediately taken to the hospital. Horrible end to the season.”
Chao and NFL Network both reported that multiple ligament tears often accompany this type of injury. A serious knee dislocation often requires at least nine months of recovery. [Update: Hill also sustained a torn ACL and other ligament damage is out for the season. His status for the start of next season is also in question.]
Mike McDaniel confirmed the injury was a dislocated knee and said that Hill will stay in the hospital overnight.
Agent Drew Rosenhaus, who rode with Hill in the ambulance to the hospital, said on WSVN-7 that Hill is getting an MRI and CT-scan to determine if there are torn ligaments, torn cartilage, broken bones or “any, God forbid, nerve damage.”
Teammates said Hill was in good spirits.
“He made a joke or two to [Jaylen] Waddle and De’Von [Achane],” McDaniel said, adding that Hill told him to move on and win the game.
“He was cracking jokes, talking about his leg was cracked,” linebacker Jordyn Brooks said.
Hill’s injury obviously eliminates any chance of Miami dealing him before the Nov. 4 trade deadline – something the Dolphins were reluctant to do anyway.
Before the injury, Pro Football Talk said Pittsburgh had Hill in mind as a potential target. ESPN said no team had inquired about trading for Hill in recent weeks, and Miami never showed any inclination to trade him anyway.
Even before the injury, it was clear that the Dolphins were unlikely to retain him next season under terms of his current contract. Now there is no doubt he won’t be back on that lucrative deal.
Hill is due to make $29.9 million next season, but none of that money is guaranteed until March, when $11 million of the $29 million becomes guaranteed if he’s on the team, as well as a $5 million roster bonus.
Because that contract carries a $51.9 million cap hit, there was virtually no chance that he would have returned without a restructure – even before the injury.
If the Dolphins cut Hill before the $11 million becomes guaranteed in March, they would have a $15.5 million dead money cap hit for 2026. That seems the likely course.
Will we see Hill in a Dolphins uniform again? While seemingly unlikely, it cannot totally be ruled out if Hill agrees to take a value deal coming off a serious knee injury, and if the Dolphins believe he can be as effective as he was before the injury on Monday. He had six catches on six targets for 67 yards against the Jets.
Why would Hill stay in Miami instead of trying to latch on with a contender? Living in the same city as his children would be one potential incentive.
The Dolphins could have more than $40 million in dead money cap hits for three players next season – Jalen Ramsey, Terron Armstead and potentially Hill.
Ramsey, traded to Pittsburgh this summer, has a $20.9 million Dolphins cap hit for 2026, per overthecap.com. Armstead, who retired this past season, has a $10.7 million Dolphins cap hit in 2026.
ESPN showed Hill in a wheelchair on his way to the hospital.
▪ McDaniel has several options in replacing Hill on the 70-plus percent of the offensive plays that he’s in the game for.
Beyond using receiver Nick Westbrook-Ikhine and Malik Washington more, McDaniel also can utilize more two tight end sets, with Darren Waller and Julian Hill.
Another option would be playing running backs De’Von Achane and Ollie Gordon II together more, which McDaniel said he would consider even before Hill’s injury.
But Achane -- a skilled receiver -- is too talented a runner to use him primarily as a receiver. Achane was dynamic Monday, rushing for 99 yards on 20 carries.
▪ The star of the night, Waller, not only caught two touchdowns, but pounced on a Jets onside kick to seal the win. Per ESPN, Waller is the second player in NFL history with two receiving touchdowns in his first game after not playing the previous season. Michael Thomas achieved that in 2022.
▪ When general manager Chris Grier’s authority was expanded in 2019, he explained his philosophy by saying “you build your offensive line, defensive line. You start there.”
He was never able to construct a dominant offensive line.
He built a stout defensive line, for a time, with Christian Wilkins, Zach Sieler and Raekwon Davis, but this might be the worst defensive line in his tenure.
And now, after losing their best player Monday, Grier and his franchise badly need both lines to improve quickly for this team to have any chance of winning more than a handful of games.
The defensive line was gashed for much of the night, allowing 197 rushing yards on 7.0 per carry. Miami’s run defense, which entered 29th in the league, was abysmal aside from Zach Sieler’s consecutive tackles for loss in the third quarter - and another tackle for loss from linebacker Tyrel Dodson.
The outlook looks bleak if rookies Kenneth Grant and Jordan Phillips don’t improve in a hurry. Grant couldn’t dislodge from blocks on several successful Jets runs.
Veteran defensive tackles Benito Jones and Matthew Butler also didn’t provide much help against the Jets.
The offensive line -- playing with backups Cole Strange and Larry Borom on the right side -- acquitted itself nicely Monday. The unit did not permit a sack and created holes for a running game that churned out 123 yards on 4.0 per carry.
Rookie left guard Jonah Savaiinaea had his cleanest game to date. And aside from committing a penalty, left tackle Patrick Paul had another superb effort. Miami did it without two of its four best offensive linemen - injured guard James Daniels and injured tackle Austin Jackson.
For the first time in years, the Dolphins’ offensive line seems more trustworthy than the defensive line.
▪ The lack of run support by the Dolphins’ edge players remains among the season’s biggest disappointments.
Bradley Chubb and Chop Robinson couldn’t get off blocks on multiple Jets runs. Entering the game, Pro Football Focus ranked Chubb and Robinson among the 16 worst run defenders among 116 edge players.
Don’t blame inside linebacker Jordyn Brooks, who had 12 tackles in the first half and 18 for the game. Brooks wasn’t blameless on a couple of the Jets’ sizable runs, but he’s making the biggest contribution of any of the front seven players.
▪ Credit cornerbacks Jack Jones and Rasul Douglas for giving the Dolphins as much, or more, than they could have realistically expected.
Each has allowed one touchdown catch this season, but both had very high degrees of difficulty -- including Garrett Wilson’s acrobatic late TD reception in the face of tight coverage by Douglas.
Jones had arguably the most impactful defensive play of the game, slapping the ball out of Braelon Allen’s hands just before he reached the end zone on the Jets’ first possession, when they ran 11 times for 75 yards. Minkah Fitzpatrick recovered the fumble.
Jones entered having allowed just 72 yards in receptions in three games. Douglas entered having yielded just 66 yards.
Miami (1-3) survived Monday despite having only four cornerbacks available: Jones, Butler, Cornell Armstrong and JuJu Brents.
▪ Make it 6-0 for Tua Tagovailoa in his career against the Jets. He had a 114.9 passer rating Monday, completing 17 of 25 passes for 177 yards and two touchdowns. He was 7 for 7 on crossing routes.
This story was originally published September 29, 2025 at 10:54 PM.
