The Miami Dolphins don't have a Tyreek Hill problem yet, but they might if he continues to play in 2024.
Miami's top receiver is playing through the pain of a torn ligament in his wrist. For the first time, he acknowledged that surgery had been discussed with doctors. Hill has no intention of getting the surgery for now, but that might change.
Hill played through the pain last week against the Los Angeles Rams. He accounted for a total of 16 yards on the day, but having Hill on the field takes coverage away from other players, and the Dolphins used that formula to beat the Rams on Monday night.
Hill spoke to the media this week about his situation, and it is a good news, bad news type of issue.
"I've been talking to a lot of people about this particular injury. At the end of the day, I've just got to suck it up and deal with the pain," said Hill. "It's going to get worse the more I play. I've got to gut it out for my team, man. I'm here, I'm locked in, no matter what, no matter how I feel."
"Surgery was brought up. It was talked about," Hill added. "It's my call at the end of the day, and my call is to stay out on the field."
Tyreek Hill should consider shutting it down if Dolphins get eliminated
The biggest question is whether he can do more damage to the wrist by playing. If the answer is no, then it truly is nothing more than playing through the pain, but if it can cause worse problems down the road and potentially hurt his career, he should take a step back.
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The Dolphins, including Hill, believe they can run the table and make the playoffs, but their margin for error is one game at best, and even that might not be enough. Eleven wins will probably get the Dolphins in, but 10 may not.
If Miami loses another game, it must put Hill on ice for the rest of the year. He should get the surgery and take the rest of the season off, with 2025 becoming the target. The Dolphins don't need Hill to win football games, but he does make a big impact by drawing attention away from others. That said, this season is close to being over, and Hill has to think about that when the time comes.
For now, he will tough it out as long as he can.