KELLY: Acquiring Tyreek Hill was the most beneficial trade in Dolphins history

A celebration of one of the best acquisitions in franchise history should be celebrated, and the best may be yet to come

Kirby Lee - USA Today Sports

Chris Grier and Mike McDaniel should call Tyreek Hill and invite him over to the Miami Dolphins practice facility this evening.

When the seven-time Pro Bowl receiver arrived, the team's General Manager and head coach should present him with a bottle of Armand De Brignac Rose Champagne to celebrate the decision, the transaction that made the Dolphins relevant again.

A toast is in order considering a year ago, on March 23, the Dolphins pulled off what can be debated as the best trade in franchise history, acquiring Hill from the Kansas City Chiefs for five draft picks.

In my opinion, the Hill trade exceeds the trade that sent offensive lineman Laremy Tunsil to the Houston Texans for a treasure chest of draft picks that turned into nine players - offensive tackle Julien Davenport, cornerback Johnson Bademosi and Noah Igbinoghene, receiver Jaylen Waddle, Erik Ezukanma and Hill, safety Jevon Holland and linebackers Bradley Chubb and Channing Tindall - either selected in the draft, or acquired via trade because Hill’s presence, and impact actually made the Dolphins immediately better instead of serving as a downpayment on future improvement.

Hill, who caught 119 passes for 1,710 yards and scored eight touchdowns last season, helped Tua Tagovailoa silence his army of critics, leading the way for the third-year quarterback to become the NFL’s top-rated passer (105.5 passer rating), and the conductor of the best big-play passing offense in the 2022 season.

Hill had an unwavering confidence in Tagovailoa that was infectious, and it’s hard to imagine it didn’t contribute to the quarterback’s enhanced confidence level during his breakout season.

Hill’s presence allowed Jaylen Waddle to continue to thrive, taking another step forward from his rookie season when Waddle set an NFL rookie record for receptions in a season.

Waddle caught 75 passes for 1,356 yards and eight touchdowns last season. The single coverages Waddle drew regularly courtesy of Hill provided a massive assist.

Now, the speedsters are viewed as one of the best-receiving duos in the NFL.

Hill’s presence allowed the Dolphins to transform a putrid offense in 2021, which was ranked 25th, into one of the NFL’s most explosive, dangerous units (ranked sixth in yards produced per game). 

That helped McDaniel establish a solid footing as a rookie head coach and first-time play-caller on offense.

And if we’re being honest, Hill’s impact on and off the field has helped stabilize the franchise, which might be the only reason Grier is starting his eighth season as Miami’s general manager, and fifth as the franchise’s top executive.

As much as owner Steve Ross despises the hiring process, it’s hard to envision Ross sticking with Grier if the Dolphins had regressed from the Brian Flores era, delivering a 7-10 or 8-9 losing season.

That could have easily happened without Hill, seeing as how Cedrick Wilson Jr., a disappointing free agent signing last season, was the receiver penciled in to replace Devante Parker as the starter paired with Waddle.

Hill was the main reason Miami had a winning record for all but two weeks last season. It certainly wasn’t the 18th-ranked defense, Miami’s disappointing special teams unit, or Miami’s lackluster running game.

You could argue that Hill was the most impactful newcomer to any NFL franchise last season.

All that for the 29th pick (New England selected offensive lineman Cole Strange), pick No. 50 (Patriots drafted receiver Tyquan Thornton), a fourth-round selection (New England drafted cornerback Jack Jones with pick No. 121) in the 2022 draft, and a fourth and sixth-round selection in 2023?

Ricky Williams, whom the Dolphins acquired from New Orleans for two first-round picks and a fourth-round selection, is the only Dolphins trade in my opinion that rivals Hill’s acquisition.

That pick, however, didn’t have staying power considering Williams had two impactful seasons in Miami before he chose weed over football and began having suspension issues.

The hope is that Hill and the franchise will pick up where they left off in 2022, as a contender for the AFC East division crown, and a playoff spot. 

To achieve that, Miami will need Hill’s presence on the field because there is a short list of players in the NFL who have kept more defensive coordinators up at night like he has.

And that’s why we toast the receiver whose acquisition altered the trajectory of the Dolphins franchise.

Hopefully, there will be more celebrations to come.