Former NFL GM calls defending Tyreek Hill ‘total keep-you-up-at-night job’

Tyreek Hill is in the midst of a potentially historic season, and the Miami Dolphins wide receiver is garnering rave reviews from throughout the NFL universe.

That includes one from former Dolphins executive Randy Mueller, who seemingly would be tossing and turning if his team had to find a way to defend Hill.

Writing for The Athletic on the topic of which wide receiver he would rather defend, Mueller praised Hill as part of a comparison with Philadelphia Eagles star A.J. Brown.

“Hill leads the league in targets and TD catches along with having 69 receptions,” Mueller wrote. “Numbers are one thing, but what he also does is give an offense very few single high coverages, and he usually gets coverage rolled to his side. His burst can outrun most angles and the best defensive back technique, and landmarks mean nothing when he gets to full speed.

“Coaches no doubt feel they can scheme to stop Brown, and your defensive mistakes are not as magnified versus his strength and power game. But defending Hill is a total keep-you-up-at-night job. He can destroy the best design of any game plan. A vote of defensive coordinators around the league might not be unanimous, but it likely would be very one-sided when naming the player they least want to have to defend.”

Hill has turned his 69 receptions into 1,076 yards, staying on pace for his stated goal of becoming the first NFL player to gain 2,000 receiving yards in a season. Brown has had a standout campaign so far as well, with 67 receptions for 1,005 yards, which is just a bit below the pace for a 2,000-yard season.

Both Hill and Brown have other standout wide receivers as teammates – Jaylen Waddle for the Dolphins and DeVonta Smith for the Eagles – which can limit the amount of double coverages they face at times.

Both Waddle and Smith are University of Alabama products, and the Crimson Tide connection extends to the respective quarterbacks, Tua Tagovailoa of the Dolphins and Jalen Hurts of the Eagles.

The Eagles defeated the Dolphins 31-17 in Week 7. In that game, Hill made 11 catches for only 88 yards, while Brown had 10 grabs for 137 yards.

The teams could be on course for a rematch in the Super Bowl as they are among the favorites to win their respective conferences. Miami leads the AFC East with a 6-3 record, and Philadelphia is atop the NFC East with an 8-1 mark.

Mueller was general manager of the Dolphins from the 2005 season through the 2007 campaign after time as an executive with the Seattle Seahawks and New Orleans Saints. He most recently has been involved with the XFL.

The 62-year-old certainly has seen his fair share of football, and in that time, very few players have performed at the level Hill has so far this season.