Dolphins expect WR Tyreek Hill back as better leader

A direct demand from Tyreek Hill to be traded, followed by a mea culpa, opened the door to questions about whether the All-Pro wide receiver and Miami Dolphins were staying together.

Head coach Mike McDaniel dismissed suggestions the Dolphins might part with Hill, who was adamant he wanted out of Miami when the 2024 season ended with the team outside the playoff picture at 8-9. It was the first season in Hill's nine-year NFL career with the Chiefs and Dolphins that ended without at least one playoff game.

Hill played through a wrist injury and had surgery after the season. He followed up an All-Pro campaign in 2023, when he had 1,799 receiving yards, with 959 in 2024.

McDaniel said he would be fine with Hill coming back -- and serving as a captain, if he can prove to teammates he's dedicated to making sure the Dolphins return to their winning ways.

"I think that's what Tyreek's up for ... up for the challenge, because Tyreek wants to set the standard of what type of competitors we have," McDaniel said.

"I think in that scenario, I would be pumped if he was voted captain. Because I think that Tyreek, being accountable for who he is as a competitor and what he's learned from in his journey, I think that means that his teammates have seen him completely ... embraced the whole process of, ‘Hey, I'm a human being. This is wrong. This is right. This is how we want to do things.'"

McDaniel said the Dolphins are encouraged Hill was recently cleared to begin running, but they'll take their time asking him to do much more than that during offseason workouts.

"We'll gradually work him into catching the football and going through that process so that at the end of the offseason program, we should be able to get that work that we were unable to this season before," McDaniel said.

--Field Level Media