Tyreek Hill can prove he’s the centerpiece of Dolphins offense, not the QB

By Henry McKenna
FOX Sports AFC East Writer

Quarterbacks get all the credit. They are the only player with the win-loss statistic, and in today's NFL, that's justified, given how the top quarterbacks can so often will their teams to victory — or sway the result. But the Miami Dolphins might be something of an anomaly.

What if their true offensive centerpiece is receiver Tyreek Hill, not the quarterback?

In the small sample size that Tua Tagovailoa and Teddy Bridgewater have displayed in 2022, we've seen that Tua has a habit of finishing games (with two fourth-quarter comebacks in Weeks 2 and 3) and Bridgewater does not (with one failed comeback in Week 4). Still, a four-game sample is not a big enough body of work to definitively say that one quarterback is vastly superior to the other in this offense. With Tagovailoa, the Dolphins have had erratic ups and downs. With Bridgewater, the Dolphins (and his other five teams) have gotten stability.

They'll have to go with Bridgewater this week against the New York Jets after Tagovailoa suffered a concussion in Week 4.

"The offense is in great hands with Teddy. Obviously it's going to be a different change of pace because every quarterback has a different playing style," Hill told reporters this week.

One thing that didn't change after Tagovailoa's departure: Hill kept getting open. He put up big numbers. In Week 4, Hill managed 10 catches on 16 targets for 160 yards, including a 64-yard reception from Bridgewater on a deep ball.

Does Hills feel like he can put up production with anyone?

"I'd put up numbers with you," Hill said, speaking to a reporter.

Hill probably couldn't make an NFL quarterback out of a media member, but he has made the most of his pro quarterbacks. Obviously, Patrick Mahomes is a generational talent and may go down as one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time. But beyond him, Hill has played with Alex Smith, Tagovailoa and Bridgewater. No matter who's under center, Hill remains productive in a way that only true WR1s do. And Hill seems to have zero doubt that Bridgewater will get him the ball. 

"Teddy understands my play style and I understand where he wants me to be at on the field," Hill said. "That's how we connected deep down the field against the Bengals. Just me and him on the same page."

You'd think Hill has been on this roster for years. He joined the team this offseason in a blockbuster trade that involved a slew of draft picks and signed a mega contract (four years, $120 million). Coincidentally, Hill will play this week against one of his other top suitors this offseason: the Jets. 

"It was just those state taxes," Hill said this week about choosing the Dolphins over the Jets. Surely, there was more at play. The Dolphins had Mike McDaniel, an up-and-coming offensive mind. The Jets had Robert Saleh, a defensive-centric coach. At the time, Tua and Zach Wilson's prospects appeared to be flailing at a similar clip. Now, Tua seems to be on the rise — and that's probably thanks in part to Hill and McDaniel. 

McDaniel has worked with offensive coordinator Frank Smith to get the most out of the offense. It's working.

"I think that with a player of Tyreek's skillset, the real challenge is getting him involved all over the field," Smith said. "So I think the challenge for us … is not just letting him line up at the same spot over and over again and the defense can anticipate where he's going to be. The challenge is for us to keep moving him throughout the formation, different motions, different adjustments, so that the defense is always not sitting on one thing; they're having to adjust and react to where we're trying to locate him within the play."

Hill could be a plug-and-play star in just about every offense. But the Dolphins have built their offense around him. On just about every play, they're playing a game within the game with McDaniel and Smith working to generate yards through Hill. 

Most defenses are going to focus on stopping Hill, whether with the top cornerback or with a double team. If Hill was standing on the outside and on the same side of the formation for every play, he might be easier to limit. So that's the opposite of what the Dolphins are doing. They're putting him in different spots throughout the course of these games so that he's in the best position to succeed against man and zone coverages, depending upon what they think they'll see in any given play.

So far this year, Hill has taken four snaps out of the backfield, six snaps inline, 61 snaps in the slot and 120 snaps outside. He's not like Deebo Samuel, a hybrid weapon who played running back, slot receiver and wideout for the San Francisco 49ers when Mike McDaniel was the offensive coordinator. But McDaniel would be foolish to put Hill (5-foot-10, 185 pounds) in the same position as Samuel (6-foot, 215 pounds) and expect the tiny but speedy wideout to thrive.

Instead, McDaniel has tailored his offense to Hill's skillset and body type. And just like the 2021 49ers were Samuel's offense, the 2022 Dolphins offense looks like Hill's.

So far this season when throwing to Hill, Dolphins quarterbacks are 6 of 9 on deep passes (that travel 20+ yards past the line of scrimmage) for two touchdowns and an interception. That's absurd efficiency for the most inefficient passing area in the game. On the whole, Hill is catching 72.1% of his targets with 15.4 yards per reception, the most among receivers with 30 catches or more this year and sixth-most among pass-catchers with 20 or more receptions. He has 19 first-down catches, the fourth-most in the NFL. His YAC (173) is third-best among receivers behind Cooper Kupp and — who else? — Samuel.

Look at his counting stats and he's elite. Look at his advanced stats and he's probably the best receiver in the NFL. 

It's easy to look at how seamlessly he has fit in and chalk it up to talent. But then I'd ask how Russell Wilson's transition is going in Denver. It doesn't always work.

What Hill has done in such a short span is remarkable. He has taken over this offense and served as the most important player on the team. In Week 5 against the Jets and — if Tagovailoa misses more time with his concussion — in future weeks, Hill can prove the Dolphins offense is a product of his elite talents.

Bridgewater or Tua — maybe it won't matter. Hill can prove he's the most important player for Miami. He's a star receiver with so much talent that he'll change the game, no matter who's throwing the football.

Prior to joining FOX Sports as the AFC East reporter, Henry McKenna spent seven years covering the Patriots for USA TODAY Sports Media Group and Boston Globe Media. Follow him on Twitter at @McKennAnalysis.