Are Miami Dolphins Concerned About Tyreek Hill's Drops?

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — There’s no doubt that the Miami Dolphins would not have won 11 games this year if Tyreek Hill wasn’t on the team.

But what’s a bit more uncertain: How many more wins would they have if PFN’s 2023 Offensive Player of the Year wasn’t top three in the league in drops?

Hill couldn’t catch three more balls that hit his hands Sunday, including a potential touchdown on the Dolphins’ final offensive play.

In Hill’s defense, his timing was off on that in-breaking route because Dane Jackson wisely grabbed him, happily trading 10 yards for the potential of a 60-yard score.

The play ended up changing the game. On the next snap, Hill got rocked by safety Taylor Rapp and had to come off the field. Moments later, Tua Tagovailoa threw his last pick of the regular season on the Dolphins’ last regular-season snap.

Miami Dolphins WR Tyreek Hill’s One Weakness

Hill also had costly drops in the Dolphins’ losses to the Baltimore Ravens and Kansas City Chiefs, taking points off the board each time. Entering Sunday’s game, he had 11 drops on the year per Pro Football Reference — the most of any season of his eight-year NFL career.

If the Dolphins are to have any hope of beating the Chiefs Sunday in a rematch at Arrowhead, they’re going to need Hill’s best.

When asked Monday about Hill’s occasional inability to secure the football, Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel defended his Pro Bowl wide receiver.

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“I think, when you’re a player of his caliber that our team depends on so much, that [stat] can be a little misleading in terms of — you know, he gets a ton of targets, and when you go to him in high-stakes situations, it’s not like he’s just gliding in open field,” McDaniel said.

“They’re pretty contested. And he’s proven time and time again why we continue to go to him. There’s zero people including myself that are concerned about a pattern of whatever. There’s individual plays. He has a high expectation to literally make every play. And in that process, there’s no such thing as a 100% shooter.”

Those points are all valid. Hill had the third-most targets in football this year (171), the most yards (1,799), and the second-most catches (119). His 13 touchdown receptions also led the league.

But his drop rate (6.4%) suggests there’s more to this story than McDaniel would concede Monday. He’s in the bottom sixth of the league in that statistic, and his catch rate (69.6%) ranks 81st.

There’s no doubt that his body has worn down due to usage as the season has gone on, and he’s been asked to carry the passing game the last two weeks with Jaylen Waddle out.

The good news for Cheetah? Waddle (ankle) is expected back for Saturday’s Wild Card Round showdown with Hill’s old team.

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