Hill Belongs in MVP Conversation

Tyreek Hill is putting together a season for the ages in his first year in Miami

It's time for Tyreek Hill to be included in the MVP conversation.

As in, NFL MVP.

By definition, the award goes to the Most Valuable Player to his team, and who's been more valuable to his team than Hill has been to the Dolphins?

Yes, we're aware that no wide receiver has ever been named NFL MVP and that the award almost invariably goes to a quarterback — it has for the past nine years — and it probably will end up being Josh Allen or Patrick Mahomes as the recipient in 2022, or maybe even Jalen Hurts of the still-undefeated Eagles.

And, sure enough, when esteemed NFL writer Peter King listed his top five for midseason MVP on Monday, his list included Allen, Hurts, Mahomes, rejuvenated Seahawks QB Geno Smith and Giants running back Saquon Barkley.

It's great to see Barkley make the cut here as a non-quarterback because he's been great, but Hill has been just as good, if not more.

In fact, Hill is putting together a season for the ages at the wide receiver position.

He's also dominating his position like nobody else in the NFL in 2022.

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TYREEK HILL PUTTING UP CRAZY NUMBERS

The stats truly are astounding:

-- There have been nine 160-yard receiving games in the NFL this season; Hill has four of them.

-- Hill already has tied the NFL record for most games with at least 10 catches and 160 yards in a season, set by Calvin Johnson in 2012 — and Hill has nine games left.

-- Hill has three of the top five single-game receiving yardage performances with 190 yards at Baltimore, 188 yards at Detroit and 177 against Minnesota.

-- Through eight weeks, Hill leads the NFL in receptions (69) and receiving yards (961).

-- Hill leads the NFL in combined yards with 982, 14 more than Barkley.

Another point to make about Hill's brilliance is that he produced even when Tua  Tagovailoa was sidelined with his concussion.

After Tua left the Cincinnati game late in the second quarter, Hill had six catches for 109 yards with Teddy Bridgewater at quarterback. Two weeks, Hill finished with 12 catches for 177 yards against Minnesota with Skylar Thompson and Bridgewater at quarterback.

The only area where Hill's stat sheet is lacking a bit is touchdowns with only two, both of them against Baltimore.

For all of Tua Tagovailoa's brilliance in that game, the Dolphins don't come back to win 42-38 if Hill doesn't burn the Baltimore secondary for 48- and 60-yard scores. And while Tua had to get him the ball, be honest and ask yourself whether the bigger accomplishment there was getting the ball to the wide open receiver or getting that open in the first place.

And, yes, there were breakdowns on both of those plays, but Hill has been open all season because nobody can cover him.

Look at the game against Detroit on Sunday, for example. Hill didn't score a touchdown in that game, but on the first two TD drives that helped the Dolphins erase deficits of 14-0 and 21-7, he had gains of 24, 36 and 42 yards.

TYREEK AND TUA TAGOVAILOA

It's probably not a stretch to suggest that Hill's arrival is the biggest reason Tua has taken such a big step forward in his third NFL season, though he also we shouldn't completely forget about fellow speedster Jaylen Waddle.

Thanks in large part to Hill, Tua has produced the two best performances of his career this season against Baltimore and Detroit, and if he can string a few more like this in the second half of the season, he just might find himself added to the MVP conversation.

But as it stands right now, Tyreek Hill has been that guy for the Dolphins. He's not only been the team's MVP, he's been as valuable to the Dolphins as any player has to his own team.

Even though it's the longest of long shots for him to be named NFL MVP, he at the very least belongs in the conversation.