Jets Country

Key For Jets to Slow Down Dolphins' Dynamic Duo of Receivers

This former Jets scout breaks down how New York can stop Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle on Sunday.

Daniel Kelly

In this story:

Miami sits on the Atlantic Ocean and it is home to palm trees and to the most dangerous tandem of wide receivers in the National Football League. 

That tandem is made up of Jaylen Waddle and Tyreek Hill (a.k.a. Cheetah). 

Hill's nickname alone should tell you he has speed to burn, and he does. 

If you don't believe me, go back and watch Miami's last three games like I did against Baltimore (9/18), Buffalo (9/25) and Cincinnati (9/29). 

It didn't matter if it was quarterback (QB) Tua Tagovailoa or his backup, Teddy Bridgewater, airing it out, Hill got deep just the same and torched both the Baltimore and Cincinnati secondaries. In fact, Bridgewater didn't underthrow the deep completions like Tagovailoa did. 

Hill showed he can run right past a defense when he hits the gas. 

Speaking of Tagovailoa, he has been ruled out of this week five matchup when the AFC East first-place Dolphins (3-1) swim to the Big Apple to take on the 2-2 Jets, who hope not to get grounded because of these two elite receivers. 

While there is a switch at QB because of injury, remember, Bridgewater is a very capable veteran who has thrown for 14,630 career yards. 

How in the world will New York stop this dynamic duo of Waddle and Hill?

That will not be easy, because the two have shown on game film they can hurt a defense at all three route levels: short, intermediate and deep. 

Both Waddle and Hill thrive catching short bubble routes and both can eat up serious yardage after the catch. Waddle is extremely determined and Hill darts right up the sidelines. 

They both absolutely love the intermediate level too. This is where they make their living. 

Waddle loves routes that feature double moves, and he can cut on a dime and leave a cornerback five cents change when breaking off a route, making his routes tough to match and keep up with. 

Hill loves to drive hard off the line and make the corner think he's taking off, before snapping it off and finding a comfortable soft spot in the middle of the field to make the grab. 

Then there's the deep game...

Both Waddle and Hill can flat out blow the lids off a secondary. 

To say these two are dangerous is an understatement. 

How can the Jets secondary stop them? 

I am not going to sit here and say through my keyboard it's possible to stop them, but Baltimore, Buffalo and Cincinnati did show on game film there is a way to slow them down. 

New York's key to slowing down Waddle and Hill:

These three teams had success playing aggressive tight man coverage. 

It's really the only chance.

Otherwise, this tandem will slice and dice through a secondary and eat up yardage like it's Thanksgiving dinner. Consistently, Waddle and Hill had a much harder time securing the ball when they were blanketed and passes were heavily contested. 

Lock up Ahmad Gardner, who's the best athlete on the Jets, with Hill and match-up D.J. Reed on Waddle, and let him get physical. 

Other than that, good luck, no matter who's throwing. 

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Daniel Kelly
DANIEL KELLY

Daniel spent four years in pro scouting with the New York Jets and brings vast experience scouting pro and college talent. Daniel has appeared in many major publications, including the New York Times and USA Today. Author of Whatever it Takes, the true story of a fan making it into the NFL, which was published in 2013. He has appeared on podcasts around the world breaking down and analyzing the NFL. Currently writes for SI All Lions. You can contact Daniel at whateverittakesbook@gmail.com

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