Report: Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle on track to play Week 1 vs. Jacksonville Jaguars

Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel provided an update on the statuses of star receivers Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle as Miami prepares for its Week 1 matchup with the Jacksonville Jaguars.

“Dolphins receivers Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle, who have been limited by injuries recently, will practice on Monday, coach Mike McDaniel said,” the Miami Herald’s Barry Jackson wrote.

“Hill has been dealing with a finger issue, while Waddle has been sidelined with a lower body injury. Neither has had any setback. Both are on track to play in Sunday’s opener against Jacksonville at Hard Rock Stadium.”

This is great news for the Dolphins, as they’re already down veteran receiver Odell Beckham Jr., who is beginning the season on the PUP list.

Hill and Waddle are undoubtedly the two top targets for quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, who is coming off arguably the best season of his career in the 2023 campaign. That led to the Dolphins giving the former first-round pick a massive contract extension this offseason.

In the 2023 campaign, Tagovailoa threw for an NFL-leading 4,624 yards last season, posting career-highs in completion percentage (69.3 percent) and touchdown passes (29). He also made the Pro Bowl for the first time in his NFL career.

Since Hill was traded to the Dolphins, Tagovailoa has looked the star receiver’s way often. In the 2022 season, Hill put up 1,710 receiving yards. He then followed that up with an NFL-best 1,799 receiving yards last season. Hill also led the NFL in receiving touchdowns in the 2023 campaign with 13.

Waddle, a former first-round pick, has also been a staple in the Miami offense since the 2021 season. The young receiver has picked up over 1,000 receiving yards in each of his first three NFL seasons, totaling 18 receiving touchdowns in the process.

Last season, Waddle had 72 receptions in 14 games for 1,014 yards and four scores. The Dolphins are hoping he can stay healthy to appear in all 17 regular season games in 2024.

Miami would love to pick up a win in Week 1 against Jacksonville, especially since both teams could be competing for a playoff spot in the AFC this season.

As long as Hill and Waddle are good to go, Miami should have a dynamic attack once again (it finished second in points scored last season) in the 2024 season.