What Should We Make Of Tyreek Hill’s Pursuit For 2,000 Yards?

Given the amount of talent in professional sports, it’s not often that one player runs circles around the competition on a repeated basis. That is exactly what Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill has accomplished this season, and is on pace to break the single season record for receiving yards. We’ll take a look at a few different ways fans can digest his stellar campaign.

Logic would dictate that defenses should back up significantly when trying to stop Hill, who has been the NFL’s fastest player for a few years running. That strategy is all well and good, but defenses still get beaten over the top by Hill’s speed and crisp route running. Teams might have to considering playing their safeties 50 yards behind the line of scrimmage at this rate.

When Hill was traded away from the Kansas City Chiefs, many wondered whether he would have the same impact moving forward. His numbers could have been a bi-product of Patrick Mahomes’ greatness. As it turns out, Hill is putting up even better statistics than the phenomenal figures he recorded with the Chiefs. That speaks to how special of a player he is.

For all of their success on offense in 2023, the Miami Dolphins aren’t a team that spreads the ball around in the air. Their passing targets are primarily funneled towards Hill and Jaylen Waddle. Teams know that Miami will feed Hill in all areas of the field, and still aren’t able to adequately contain him.

In his first year with Miami in 2022, Hill notched 1,710 yards through the air. Heading into the 2023 season, he told the media that he felt much more comfortable in head coach Mike McDaniel’s offense. It didn’t seem like Hill could get that much better, but it turns out that his sentiment was spot on.

The Dolphins have had a great season as a team, and have an opportunity to wrap up a division title or prime seeding in the AFC before the final week of the season. If they find themselves with nothing to play for as a team heading into Week 17 or Week 18, it’ll be interesting to see if they play Hill, and how long he’s on the field in an attempt to break the receiving record.

Some might point out that the NFL regular season is one game longer than it used to be, which means records may go down often in the next few years. It’s a fair point, and something that should be considered when comparing Hill’s exploits to Calvin Johnson’s in 2012. This might be motivation for Hill to crank up his production to get to 2,000 yards in just 16 games.

There have been moments in the last few games that have forced Dolphins fans to hold their breath with Hill. Against the Las Vegas Raiders, he appeared to hurt his hand, which would be an issue for a wide receiver. Against the New York Jets the following week, Hill appeared to tweak his leg. Both incidents proved to be minor, but Hill’s health is worth monitoring down the stretch.

Hill is already making a strong case to be one of the greatest receivers of all time, but having the single season record on his resume might put him in rarified air. If he can get the record, he’ll have achieved some of the highest possible accolades both individually and collectively. Hill will have the chance to keep adding to his legacy for a few years, as he’s not even 30 years old.