NFL Insider: Teams are Absolutely Monitoring Dolphins’ Star WR

The Miami Dolphins have had quite an offseason and it started right after their season-ending loss to the New York Jets. Wide receiver Tyreek Hill famously said “I’m out, bro,” more than implying that he was finished in Miami.

Since then, there has been some fence-mending going on, but Hill keeps talking. He talked about the importance of practicing in training camp before being late to a training camp practice. Then he decided to offer his opinion on the Dolphins’ short-yardage woes because of course.

Now, Hill is nursing an oblique injury and, according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, other teams around the NFL are monitoring his situation regarding a potential trade.

“So his status is uncertain, with an oblique injury right now, as for when he gets back in the lineup, is still up in the air,” Fowler said on SportsCenter. “Right now, I have talked to a few teams that are at least monitoring his future a little bit. Could he be a potential trade target?”

The Dolphins said they don’t want to trade Tyreek Hill

The Dolphins have every reason to hold on to Hill. They truly believe they are better than last year’s 8-9 record and – let’s be honest here – head coach Mike McDaniel and general manager Chris Grier are head coaching and general managing for their jobs right now. You might not know it from the Jalen Ramsey and Jonnu Smith trade, but this is not a blow-up-the-team and start over situation.

Fowler says that could change if enough other teams decide to start calling.

“I know the Dolphins earlier this summer were telling teams, no, we’re not trading Tyreek Hill,” Fowler continued. “But they just wonder, is he going to be available? It could be wishful thinking. Maybe they want him to be available, but he’s a player that when I bring up the teams and say, ‘Who’s sort of a trade target you’re watching?’ They bring up Tyreek Hill, so we’ll see. He’s a big option for Tua and that’d be a major move if they did move away from him.”

If things go south in South Beach, Hill could be available sooner rather than later.

Coaches and teammates acknowledge that relationships with Hill need to be fixed

It’s not outside media speculation that Hill has done some damage within the Dolphins locker room. Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa said that he and other teammates are working to get their trust restored with the mercurial wideout.

“Sure, I would say we’re still continuing to do that,” Tagovailoa said. “But it’s not just with me. It’s with a lot of the guys. I’m not the only one that heard that. You guys aren’t the only people that heard that. A lot of people that follow football, that follow the Miami Dolphins, that follow Tyreek, that are fans of his, everyone has seen that.”

McDaniel even said essentially the same thing last week.

“These are people that are working on the relationship,” McDaniel said. “I think the power in that is both of the players, like most relationships, you learn and you grow and when you invest you go through whatever, but the relationship becomes more real.”

The status of these relationship repairs could help to determine Hill’s availability. That and if they get off to a 1-4 start and the employment hatchet comes out.