Hill said he first injured his wrist in August during a joint practice with the Washington Commanders. The injury worsened over the first nine weeks of the season, to a point where Hill was held out of the Dolphins’ final two practices of Week 10 and carried a questionable tag into Miami’s game against the Los Angeles Rams.
The league’s leading receiver from a season ago said he declined surgery and will play through the pain.
“At the end of the day, I have to tough it out and deal with the pain,” Hill said. “It’s going to get worse the more I play, but I have to [gut] for my team. I’m here, I’m locked in no matter what, no matter how I feel. So even if I have to cut my wrist, I’m still out there because I love football.
“Surgery was brought up and talked about every time I talked to some of the doctors, but it’s my decision at the end of the day, and my call is to stay on the field.”
Hill did not commit to having surgery after the season, but said he would be “in a good place to make that decision” when the time comes. He did not practice Wednesday, but was promoted to a limited participant Thursday and hopes to play Sunday against the Las Vegas Raiders.
ESPN’s Lisa Salters reported Monday night that Hill told her he aggravated his wrist injury during his police stop before the Dolphins’ Week 1 game when he was taken to the ground. However, when asked to confirm that Thursday, he said the injury occurred in joint practice with the Commanders on a red zone play.
No player has more receiving yards since 2022 than Hill’s 3,971, but he’s off to one of the worst starts of his career this season. He leads the Dolphins with 462 receiving yards through nine games, but ranks 37th in the league in that category. He’s on pace for 872 receiving yards, which would mark his lowest total since recording 860 yards in 12 games in 2019.
“It’s going to get worse the more I play, but I have to [gut] for my team. I’m here, I’m locked in no matter what, no matter how I feel. “So even if I have to cut my wrist, I’m still there because I love football.”
Hill Tyreek
Hill’s 51.3 yards per game average is less than half the 106.3 yards per game he averaged during his first two seasons with the Dolphins.
But he says he’s become a more complete receiver this year, in ways that don’t show up on the individual stat sheet.
“I feel like for me I took a step forward in my game,” Hill said. “Our position coach [Wes Welker] It’s helped me develop, become a complete blocking receiver, be stronger at the catch point, run accurate routes and things like that. A lot of people look at the numbers and say, ‘Oh, he was this and that,’ but I feel like, as a player, I’ve gotten better. As a leader, I’ve gotten better and I feel like I’ve gotten better in that regard.”
