Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel provided some additional information regarding star wide receiver Tyreek Hill’s injury. McDaniel indicated that Hill is dealing with a thumb injury, but fans of the team seemingly shouldn’t be worried about the 30-year-old missing an extended period of time ahead of the Dolphins’ preseason finale versus the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Aug. 23.
“There’s also times that, because of the timing of where their bodies are at, kind of puts them at risk to get further injury,” McDaniel said of Hill’s injury status. “And so it’s really from a medical standpoint, you’re just trying to let something cool down so you don’t have something happen at the expense of regular-season games. So he’s been very active but we’re trying to make sure we keep him out of harm’s way.”
Hill did not participate in team drills during the Dolphins’ joint practice with the Buccaneers on Wednesday thanks to his thumb injury. He also wore a removable brace on his right hand during Miami’s practice on Tuesday and didn’t catch so much as a single pass.
It is seemingly still up in the air as to whether Hill will take the field for the Dolphins in Friday’s matchup against Tampa Bay. The receiver has yet to play in a preseason game for the Dolphins, as he sat out the team’s first two preseason contests, which came against the Atlanta Falcons on Aug. 9 and Washington Commanders on Aug. 17.
But the Dolphins have still put together a successful preseason stint despite the fact that Hill — arguably the team’s best offensive player — has been sidelined. Miami has won both of its games so far, as it beat the Falcons by a score of 20-13 and followed up that performance with a seven-point victory over the Commanders.
Miami will look to carry over its auspicious play during preseason into the 2024 regular season. The Dolphins will kick off their 17-game slate with a matchup against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sept. 8, which is just a few weeks away at this point in time.
Getting Hill back on the field to play alongside signal-caller Tua Tagovailoa should do wonders for the Dolphins’ offense. Miami has averaged just 16.5 points per game across its two preseason contests sans Hill but averaged 29.2 in the 2023 regular season.
If Hill ends up getting ruled out for Miami’s preseason finale, here’s to hoping that he will be ready to go by the time Sept. 8 rolls around.
