MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Tyreek Hill is not the same player in 2024 that he was in 2022 and 2023.
Hill’s Sundays have been uncharacteristically underwhelming this year, and that trend continued in Week 16’s 29-17 Miami Dolphins victory over the San Francisco 49ers.
Hill had one touchdown catch Sunday but should have had three. He had two other very catchable balls slip through his hands in the end zone. And he had a drop early in the game that would have gone for a big gain.
Why Has Miami Dolphins WR Tyreek Hill Regressed?
So what’s gone wrong for the player who entered the season as the NFL’s No. 1 player, as voted on by his peers?
It’s not just one thing. He’s almost 31 years old, so that might be a factor. He hasn’t been healthy all season, dealing with a foot issue early in the year and a significant wrist injury the entire season.
But after his latest disappointing performance, Hill suggested that he is rusty because he hasn’t practiced enough. The Dolphins have given him personal/rest days in recent weeks, and Hill believes that has contributed to his drop in performance.
“Those Wednesday reps are definitely showing,” Hill said postgame. “As a leader, I’ve just got to be able to bite the bullet sometime and practice and get those valuable reps with QB1 (Tua Tagovailoa).”
Hill continued: “One thing I learned from coach [Andy] Reid whenever I was in Kansas City, I was blessed to be able to play under such a great head coach, is you can’t just show up on Sunday. You’ve got to be able to prepare yourself Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, even Saturday. Then when it’s Sunday, it’s easy.
“Once again, us missing those valuable reps because when it’s live speed, everything’s moving so fast. We need those valuable reps whenever it’s Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday.”
Asked a short time later about Hill’s comments, Tagovailoa replied:
“If he told you that, then that’s what we need more of. We need reps. Me and him need more reps. That’s what we’ve got to do. That’s the secret sauce to me being able to connect with all these guys.”
Since Hill became a true NFL wide receiver in 2017 (he was largely a special teams contributor his rookie year), he has been held under 30 yards just 14 times in the regular season.
Five of those 14 occasions came in 2024 — with Hill as the NFL’s fifth-highest-paid wide receiver. Hill on the year has 70 catches for 834 yards and six touchdowns.
The Dolphins owe Hill another $28.7 million in guaranteed compensation in 2025. They certainly hope that this year is just a speed bump and not his new normal.
“I’m not too worried about it,” Hill said. “[I’ll do] whatever I got to do to get better. A lot of guys understand what I’m dealing with this year, and I’m going to continue to be a leader, continue to be the best guy I can be for this team no matter what.
“Obviously there are a lot of things that I wish I can get back and do better, but at the end of the day, I’m going to continue to fight. I’m going to continue to be out there for my team. That’s all I can be, man. Just be myself, and I’m grateful I’m in this situation because I’m learning a lot about myself.
“I’m learning how to be patient. I’m learning how to be more mature about situations whenever they don’t go my way. I’m actually learning a lot from it. It’s the NFL. It’s not easy. I know in the past I’ve made it look easy, but this year it’s kind of tough, but it is what it is, man. I’m human. I’ll bounce back.”