The Truth About Tyreek's Status

The Pro Bowl wide receiver practiced on a limited basis Thursday

Leave it to Tyreek Hill to turn a discussion about an injury into a comedy routing.

The Miami Dolphins' Pro Bowl wide receiver returned to practice Thursday after missing the previous day with what the team listed as a hip injury and he talked about his status afterward the same way he's discussed every topic since arriving in South Florida in March 2022.

Hill had some fun with the topic.

Just check out some of the back and forth:

Q. Is there much pain? Do you have an injury or are you fine for Sunday?

Hill: No, I just wanted some attention because my mom wouldn't talk to me yesterday. So I needed some attention from somebody. I'm good, though."

Q. Was it difficult to be away from your teammates Wednesday?

Hill: "It was hard. It was very hard, man. But I used that time to spend with my kids, man. That's all I was, I just want to hang out my kids, man. I feel like sometimes I sacrifice football so much that they're asking me to be a dad some time. So I just used that time to spend it with my kids and just be a father."

Q. Was there a specific play during the Eagles game when you got injured?

Hill: "I wouldn't say that. Just want to spend time with my family man. That's it."

This is the part, of course, where we remind everyone that Hill likes to have fun and is not above saying things for effect or trolling, and there's clearly a heavy dose of that at play here.

So what exactly is Hill's status?

Well, what is undeniable is that in the portion of practice open to the media, he certainly didn't look like somebody who was nursing an injury of major significance. And it's also a fact that the Dolphins listed him as a limited participant in practice Thursday.

So what does that mean for his availability for the game against New England in light of Hill saying, "I'm good"?

Hill very well might be in the lineup against the New England Patriots on Sunday, but he's also not the type of guy who ever would publicly express any doubt based on what we've witnessed the past two seasons.

So let's just say there's reason to be optimistic he'll play Sunday without necessarily considering it a done deal.

HILL, THE PATRIOTS AND 2,000 YARDS

Hill has missed only five of a possible 121 games since he entered the NFL in 2016 and he's got extra incentive to be in the lineup Sunday, namely his publicly stated quest to reach 2,000 receiving yards this season.

He remains on pace for that goal with 902 yards in seven games, which projects to 2,190 over a 17-game season or 2,061 over 16 games.

Hill has four games with 150 or more yards this season, though he was held to 88 yards on 11 receptions in the 31-17 loss against the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday night.

"I didn't like my last performance," Hill said. "I'm butt-hurt about that. Kind of wish I would have played better. But obviously, in this league, I can't. I can't hold on to that game. So I've just got to move forward hope I play better, which I will."

Hill's season low came in the first game against the Patriots when he had five catches for 40 yards in the Dolphins' Week 2 victory at Gillette Stadium.

He did sound serious when he talked about the Patriots defense.

"You know what, Coach Bill (Belichick), he does a great job teaching his corners how to play their leverage, and they do a real good job of it," Hill said. "What I've got to do better this time is actually just see it faster, process it faster, and just get to my landmark. Our quarterback, he's been doing a tremendous job of delivering passes to me and other guys and my job is to be there for him. So that's what I've got to do.

"Can't make excuses about getting doubled. Our job is to get open. If I want to say I'm the best, I gotta get open when there's two guys on me. That's something that my dad kind of told me , like, 'You say you're the best, but you can't get open on two guys, you're no Cheetah.' So that's why I've got to do it, man."

Hill, of course, is "The Cheetah." And, as he's prone to saying, "Cheetahs don't get hurt."

And that right might be why Hill never was going to say anything Thursday about being hurt despite his listed hip injury. And why he'll never talk about being injured or always downplay it.

What that means for Sunday we'll find out soon enough.

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