Dolphins Week 5 mailbag: How will the team fare without star WR Tyreek Hill?
Whew, the NFL ain’t no joke.
Case in point: the Miami Dolphins’ best player mangled his knee in what could have likely been his best game of 2025.
For the next 13 games, the Dolphins will attempt to do something that they don’t have much experience with: win without Tyreek Hill.
Will it be difficult? 100%. Is it possible? Certainly — just look at what the San Francisco 49ers did to the Los Angeles Rams on Thursday night.
Fans definitely want to know how the Dolphins will respond without Hill, so let’s dive in.
QUESTION: Are we cooked?
ISAIAH: Depends on how these next five games go. I see all five as winnable if the injuries hold. The Carolina Panthers aren’t great. The Los Angeles Chargers’ offensive line is banged up. The Cleveland Browns are the Cleveland Browns. The Atlanta Falcons aren’t great. And the Baltimore Ravens could potentially be without Lamar as well as several key starters on defense.
Q: Listened to the latest episode of “Dolphins in Depth” and while Tyreek will be missed, do you guys at least find it possible that Tua Tagovailoa will actually benefit from not having Tyreek? I thought Tua was better overall after Tyreek went down? Am I crazy?
I: Benefit from not having one of the best receivers in the league? C’mon now.
Q: Does Storm Duck get his job back when he returns? Jack Jones and Rasul Douglas have been playing well.
I: Will be interesting to see from a competitive standpoint. Honestly, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
Q: You think defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver survives the whole season?
I: Yes. I wouldn’t necessarily blame the scheme for the defense’s shortcomings. The bigger issues are a young defensive line and a rusty edge rushers group (specifically Bradley Chubb and Jaelan Phillips; I’m a firm believer that you’re not the same player until the second year after the injury).
Q: How would you use Julian Hill and Darren Walker in a two tight end set if they both can catch ?
I: I want to see more catches from Hill before putting him in the same sentence as Waller, however, he is having a pretty good season blocking. I could see more two TE sets to add another inline blocker on run plays.
Q: In what scenario is general Chris Grier fired and/or moved to a different front-office role, but the team keeps coach Mike McDaniel?
I: To be honest, that’s what I thought was more of a possibility, yet I can’t help but wonder if a new GM would want to inherit a coach or potentially work at an organization where your predecessor is still in the building. It just creates an interesting power dynamic
Q: If owner Stephen Ross came to McDaniel and told him he would retain him as coach as long as he was OK to get rid of Tua and get a new QB, would Mike stay?
I: Would you stay at your job if your boss said he will keep you but fire the guy that you didn’t even hire?
Q: Any word on if James Daniels will be back sooner than later when he’s eligible?
I: Daniels is on injured reserve, which means the earliest he’s able to return will be after the Panthers game. That said, any sort of pectoral injury for an offensive lineman could take longer. Think about how much they use that muscle on a day-to-day basis. I wouldn’t hold your breath.
Q: Has anyone asked McDaniel about putting too much work load on De’Von Achane? Why not use him more in the passing game?
I: Achane is tied for first in touchdown catches, second in receptions and targets, as well as third in yards on the team. His receiving performance against the New York Jets — one catch for 2 yards — was an outlier as far as I’m concerned. He will likely be used even more with Tyreek Hill out
Q: The defensive line was supposed to be the strength of the defense. Why are they not getting pressure with front four and relying so much on blitzing?
I: They’re young. Of course, there’s a world where the rookies come in and are game wreckers from Day 1, but that’s more of an aberration than the norm. The lack of pressure has led Weaver to blitz more.
Q: Anyone asked McDaniel or Weaver about adding Christian Wilkins to the roster to combat this run game issue?
I: McDaniel essentially said today that they’re willing to go through the growing pains with this young defensive line for the time being.
Q: I think the Dolphins will be more balanced on offense and go from there. What do you think?
I: The truth is, anybody that tells you they 100% know what this offense will look like without Tyreek Hill is lying. The sample size without him is just too small. That said, hopefully they lean a bit more on the run. The Dolphins already need to run the ball more in my opinion.
