The 2025 season was a difficult one for the Miami Dolphins. Despite the team hoping to return to the postseason after being eliminated during the final regular season game of the 2024 season, things quickly went awry for the Dolphins.
An 0-3 start put them in a hole, which they nearly managed to come back from, but it was only made that much more difficult once they lost superstar wide receiver Tyreek Hill during their first win of the season in Week 4.
Hill appeared on the verge of a bounce-back season, and was on pace for his second 100-yard game before he suffered a devastating dislocated knee injury in which he tore multiple ligaments. With Hill set to carry a $51 million cap hit in 2026, the Miami Dolphins released the All-Pro receiver. Unfortunately, it does not appear as if he's going to find a new home soon.
Despite Hill undergoing surgery quickly after his knee injury, and his agent stating that the expectation was for Hill to be available for the 2026 season, that did not end up being the case. Hill had to undergo a second surgery, and his agent stated that the receiver was unlikely to sign before the regular season.
With Week 1 less than one week away, Hill's status remains in doubt. The Athletic's Daniel Popper gave an update on his situation as he wrote of the wide receiver market in free agency: "The receiver market, like the edge market, has thinned out through the late spring and summer. Stefon Diggs signed with the Commanders . Keenan Allen signed with the Colts . Deebo Samuel Sr. signed with the San Francisco 49ers . Cooks is the best remaining player of this group.
Tyreek Hill is still available, of course. But his injury situation is just too uncertain to make a roster at this stage. Hill is unlikely to be an option until much later in the season."
Hill remaining unsigned before the season is expected, as his agent said. However, not signing until much later would certainly be disappointing.
Hill's situation appears familiar to another former Miami Dolphins wide receiver. AAfter receiver Odell Beckham Jr. tore his ACL during the Super Bowl following the 2021 season, he remained unsigned prior to the season as he recovered from his injury. While Beckham Jr. spent the 2022 season teasing that he would join multiple teams, he ended up missing the entire season. Beckham Jr. returned in 2023 as he signed with the Baltimore Ravens on a one-year, $16 million contract.
Unfortunately for Hill and the Dolphins, the end of the receiver's tenure in Miami did not occur in the way either side would have wanted.
His absence likely impacted Miami missing the playoffs, which then led to the team resetting its roster. After releasing Hill, the Dolphins underwent a transformation in the wide receiver room. Shortly after his release, Miami traded star receiver Jaylen Waddle to the Denver Broncos and then invested three draft picks in receivers.
ESPN's Dan Graziano seems to believe that out of the three rookie wide receivers drafted, Caleb Douglas will have the biggest impact in 2026. Graziano wrote: "The third-round rookie out of Texas Tech has been a consistent performer during training camp, and there is nothing but opportunity on Miami's depth chart at WR. The Dolphins traded top wideout Jaylen Waddle, so new quarterback Malik Willis (A) needs someone to throw to and (B) has had time to get used to targeting Douglas."
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