Kelly: Dolphins preparing for offense without Tyreek Hill | Opinion
The Miami Dolphins receiver unit is going right back to baseline.
On the same day Tyreek Hill had season-ending surgery on his left knee, which got dislodged in Monday night’s 27-21 win against the New York Jets, the Dolphins re-signed Cedrick Wilson Jr., the exact same player Hill’s addition via trade in 2022 displaced.
Let’s rewind to Mike McDaniel’s first spring as Miami’s head coach, which featured the Dolphins signing Wilson to a respectable three-year deal worth $22.8 million as a free agent.
Miami traded DeVante Parker to the Patriots that offseason and were starting fresh at receiver with Jaylen Waddle and Wilson.
They were McDaniel and general manager Chris Grier’s master plan for Miami’s offense, Tua Tagovailoa’s weaponry.
Then Hill, a perennial Pro Bowl receiver, fell into Miami’s lap because his camp was at an impasse in negotiations with the Kansas City Chiefs for a new deal. Instead of finding a way to work out a new contract, the Chiefs gave agent Drew Rosenhaus the opportunity to find a big deal elsewhere, and he did by picking the Dolphins over Jets in a bidding war that delivered five draft picks to the Chiefs.
Three seasons — two of which were Pro Bowl seasons — and four games later the Dolphins are right back where they started.
Square one!
Wilson never found his footing that 2022 season, playing behind two other receivers, and his career subsequently fizzled out before Miami plucked the injured receiver off the New Orleans Saints’ practice squad on Tuesday.
Do you see the irony that Miami brought Wilson back to help ease the discomfort the offense will likely feel playing without Hill for the rest of the season?
“Tyreek is one of [those] guys that changes [things] for the whole team,” said Waddle, who has contributed 17 receptions for 185 yards and two touchdowns through the first four games. “It changes for the whole offense. He means a lot to the offense, not just going out there and making plays, but having his spirit and energy out there and his leadership.”
Waddle admitted Hill’s playmaking, energy and leadership can’t be replaced by one man, and is now on every player on the offense, if not the team.
Clearly more passes are headed toward tailback De’Von Achane and tight end Darren Waller’s considering they are proven commodities in the NFL. But don’t be surprised if teams change how much attention both get on the field, especially without Hill occupying two of 11 defenders most offensive snaps.
Very little will change for Waddle, who typically faces cloud coverages. But now defenses can roll coverages to him, and blitz more frequently because none of Miami’s other receivers are established NFL playmakers.
Nick Westbrook-Ikhine joined the Dolphins as a free agent this offseason after scoring nine touchdowns off 32 receptions with the Titans last season. He brings size (6-foot-2, 211 pounds) and toughness to one of the NFL’s smallest receiver units. But his camp performance this spring and summer wasn’t impressive, and his struggles were blamed on an undisclosed injury and his limited understanding of the Dolphins offense.
Westrbook-Ikhine and Tagovailoa are still working to develop chemistry.
Dee Eskridge, who hasn’t started a single one of the 34 NFL games he has played in so far, was the receiver who impressed the most all camp, and the 2021 second-round pick likely gets first crack at replacing Hill because they have similar skill sets seeing as how he’s fast and shifty.
Malik Washington and Tahj Washington have worked extensively in the slot, but Malik Washington, who has started five of the 18 games he has played the past two seasons, knows the offense well enough to play all three positions.
He also brings a toughness to the field that opens up Deebo Samuel-like running plays, jet sweeps and end arounds, which typically went to Hill the past three-plus seasons. Expect his playing time to double.
Tahj Washington, a small, shifty receiver who spent his rookie year on injured reserve, has a knack for making defenders miss in open space. But he has sparingly worked with the first- or second-team offense up to this point, so he might need a minute to get up to speed.
How Wilson eventually fits in comes down to his health (he’s reportedly nursing hip and shoulder injuries), and how quickly he can recall the Dolphins’ offense.
If Miami’s fortunate, the seven-year veteran, who has started all of 11 NFL games, is nothing but an insurance policy because one of the team’s young receivers found a way to step up.
And Waddle has a little advice to all the candidates applying for a more prominent role.
“Just go out there and play. They are going to get much more opportunities,” Waddle said. “Play free, play fast and be you. Don’t try to be something you’re not, just play your game.”
This story was originally published October 1, 2025 at 4:38 PM.
