Tyreek Hill was spotted with a brace on his right hand this week, but Miami Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel says the receiver’s thumb injury isn’t anything to be worried about.
“I’m really good at thumb war; he lost,” McDaniel joked Wednesday. “Tyreek could practice today; however, there’s also times that because of the timing of where their bodies are at kind of puts them at risk to get further injury. So that’s it really. From a medical standpoint, you’re just trying to let something cool down so you don’t have something happen at the expense of regular season games.
“So he’ll be around, but he won’t be participating in the team [portion of practice].”
Translation: Hill is doing just fine and his limited participation is precautionary, because there’s no reason to risk exacerbating an issue while it’s still August.
The Dolphins can’t afford to suffer many more injuries at the wide receiver position. While McDaniel has found a silver lining in the minor dings for Hill and Jaylen Waddle, along with the undisclosed issue that has kept Odell Beckham Jr. on PUP list, Miami is also running out of players at the position now that River Cracraft is also out for a significant stretch.
Aside from Tua Tagovailoa, Hill may be the player the Dolphins could least afford to be without. Treating his thumb issue with an abundance of caution is the right approach.
Hill, 30, recorded exactly 119 receptions in each of his first two seasons in Miami and eclipsed 1,700 receiving yards both times — a milestone no other player in NFL history has managed to reach twice.
