A Tyreek Hill MVP Conversation Is Not Crazy Talk
Photo Credit: Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports
You could argue that Tyreek Hill has a greater impact on his team’s offense than any non-quarterback in the league. In fact, not only could you make that argument, you’d probably win. The star receiver has transformed the Miami Dolphins’ offense since being acquired from the Kansas City Chiefs in 2022. This season his pace is historic.
Over the first six games, Hill has accumulated 814 receiving yards. If he tallies 86 more on Sunday against the Philadelphia Eagles — highly likely given his current pace — Hill will become the first player in 62 years and just the fourth player in NFL history to reach 900 receiving yards through his team’s first seven games. It hasn’t happened since 1961. The only players in NFL history to accomplish this are the Green Bay Packers’ Don Hutson (915 in 1942), Los Angeles Rams’ Elroy Hirsch (961 in 1951), and Houston Oilers’ Charlie Hennigan (1,044 receiving yards in 1961). Two of them are Hall of Famers.
“He’s different, man. He is different,” Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel said. “When he harnesses a competitive situation, there’s not many like it. I know for a fact that he’s just a prideful individual, prideful of everything he does and very glad that we have him on our team, because I definitely notice his competitive issues, and I poke and prod them a lot. The guys know that they’re going to get his best effort.
Hill’s productivity on a snap-by-snap basis has been surreal this year. No other player in football has had more than 3.66 yards per route run. Tyreek’s number is 5.02. These are not targets, not catches. Every time he runs a route, he gets five yards.
For Tagovailoa, Hill’s speed is what makes him so special and important for the Dolphins offense.
“You just know where he’s going to be. Speed kills,” Tua said. “You know that these other teams see that. Those guys have put that on film. It’s not just with Tyreek, it’s with Jaylen (Waddle). We also have our running backs. There are a lot of other guys that are sneaky fast, as well, but they don’t get that opportunity much because of those guys.”
If Hill has another strong performance on Sunday and reaches 150 receiving yards and a touchdown, it’ll be his fifth game doing so this year. He would become the first player in NFL history to do that within a season — and less than halfway through that season to boot.
Since he got into the league in 2016, Hill has had 15 career games with at least 150 receiving yards. If he gets another one, he will tie Julio Jones for the fourth place in history — just Jerry Rice, Lance Alworth, and Terrell Owens have more, and all of them are Hall of Famers.
Hill has had 814 yards and six touchdowns over six games. He’s on pace to break not only his career-best marks, but to break NFL records. If he maintains the same production and plays every game of the regular season, he will finish the year with 2,306 receiving yards, by far the biggest number in NFL history, and 17 touchdowns. The current record is 1,964 yards, from Detroit Lions’ Calvin Johnson in 2012.
Hill has had five 1,000-yard seasons throughout his NFL career. And even though he was very prolific in his time with the Kansas City Chiefs, he’s been more prolific in Miami. Last season was his best in terms of receiving yards, with 1,710, and his pace in 2023 is even better.
The Dolphins are the best offense in football in basically every relevant metric: DVOA, EPA/play, success rate, yards per game, passing yards, total touchdowns, receiving touchdowns, rushing touchdowns, and passer rating. Hill is one of the biggest reasons for that.
Hill has won a Super Bowl, been a first-team All-Pro four times, and has made the 2010s All-Decade Team. Now he is the favorite to win the Offensive Player of Year Award. The MVP conversation is not out of the realm of possibilities if he keeps playing at such an absurd level.
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