Dolphins WR Tyreek Hill returns to practice for first time since ankle injury

Ahead of a tough three-game stretch to conclude the regular season, one of the Dolphins’ most important players was back on the practice field.

Wide receiver Tyreek Hill practiced on Thursday for the first time since injuring his ankle against the Tennessee Titans in Week 14. He was a limited participant, according to the team’s injury report.

Hill, who did not play in the Dolphins’ win against the New York Jets in Week 15, was sidelined from practice on Wednesday. But coach Mike McDaniel said it was not indicative of Hill’s availability for Sunday’s home game against the Dallas Cowboys.

“It’s more just us trying to make sure that we have all cylinders go,” McDaniel said.

Hill, who missed his first game as a Dolphin since being traded to Miami before the 2022 season, was seen participating in individual drills during the portion of practice open to the media. He was running full speed and cutting as he caught passes from quarterback Tua Tagovailoa.

Hill wasn’t seen in the team’s locker room after practice and his availability for the Christmas Eve game remains up in the air. McDaniel, though, said Hill was “pretty close” to playing against the Jets after undergoing a pregame workout.

Hill leads the NFL in receiving yards (1,542) and touchdown catches (12) despite missing a game this season. He needs to average about 153 yards per game over the final three games to achieve the NFL’s first 2,000-yard receiving season, which he said is a goal of his.

After struggling with a limited Hill during the Titans game, the Dolphins’ offense had a strong bounce-back effort against the Jets. Tagovailoa had one of his most efficient games this season, completing 21 of 24 passes for 224 yards and one touchdown.

But inserting Hill back into the lineup gives the Dolphins their most explosive playmaker as the team pursues a division title and No. 1 seed with a tough trio of opponents in the way: the Cowboys, Baltimore Ravens and Buffalo Bills.

Two offensive line starters, right guard Robert Hunt and right tackle Austin Jackson, remained sidelined from practice.

“I would say it’s always tough when you don’t have one of your best guys out there,” Tagovailoa said on Wednesday. “To me, I personally say none of us really care who’s out there or who’s not. At the end of the day, whoever is in there, we all trust that we can get it done with those people. Even when I wasn’t in there last year, that was the mindset that those guys had. Ok, Tua’s down, we can’t do anything about. Tyreek is down, we can’t do anything about it. We have to go out there, we still have to play. Those guys don’t care that Tyreek’s out. Those guys didn’t care that I was out last year. It doesn’t matter. We have to go out there and play. I think that should tell you a lot about the guys that were out there.”

If Hill is unable to play, the spotlight will once again be on wide receiver Jaylen Waddle, who stepped up as the top pass-catcher against New York. Waddle recorded eight receptions for a season-high 142 yards and a 60-yard touchdown, his longest reception of the year.

After dealing with early-season injuries and inconsistent performances, Waddle had his best game of the season when the Dolphins needed it most. And it didn’t come to the surprise of teammates and coaches, who said he had one of the best offseason and training camp performances.

“I’ve seen someone that’s just come in day-in, day-out, just grinding,” Tagovailoa said. “Not once did I ever see him feel sorry for himself throughout the success that Tyreek has had. But you could see that there had been sometimes where it was like, ‘Man, I sort of wished I was involved more or this happened more or this happened.’ It’s one of those deals where, I’ve said it before, we’ve called a play for Waddle to be the person to be first in that progression and it just so happens that the defense doesn’t allow for that route to be open.

“As anyone else would, I’m sure he was very frustrated. Coming from being the ‘Wide Receiver 1’ in my rookie year and in my second year to ‘Wide Receiver 1B — where do I fit in this offense?’ So for him to have been able to go out and show to everyone and remind everyone, ‘Letting you guys know I’m still that person if you guys allow me that opportunity.’ I’m very proud of what he’s done, what he’s put on tape and what he continues to do for our team.”

Waddle said he was “a lot more zoned in” with his workouts during the offseason, understanding that he would see direct results on the field. He especially worked on the staple routes that the Dolphins’ offense likes to run.

The third-year player is used to sharing the spotlight from his time at Alabama, where he played alongside a litany of future NFL wide receivers. And he noted how the presence of Hill has opened up so much for him on the field. But on Sunday, all eyes could be on him again.

“It’s always good for the team to have great players out there and getting a great caliber player like Tyreek is always special for the team,” Waddle said. “It’s great. It’s been great. ‘Reek’ is a great teammate and he makes it easier out here for it to flow for everyone.”