Good morning, I’m Dan Gartland. I felt I had a journalistic duty to watch the Tyreek Hill injury, but I really wish I hadn’t.
In today’s SI:AM:
🐬 Tyreek Hill’s injury
🔮 MLB playoff predictions
😞 Bengals beyond hope
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Where do the Dolphins go from here?
The Dolphins got their first win of the season on Monday night against the Jets, but an injury to their best offensive player cast a shadow over the victory.
Receiver Tyreek Hill was injured while making a catch near the sideline early in the third quarter. It was immediately evident that he’d sustained a serious injury, as his left leg bent at an unnatural angle. Hill was removed from the field on a cart and taken to the hospital.
According to multiple reports, Hill dislocated his knee and tore multiple ligaments, including his ACL. He will undergo surgery today. Crucially, though, there has not yet been any reporting on whether Hill suffered nerve or cartilage damage. (Presumably we’ll know more after Hill has his surgery.) Knowing the extent of Hill’s injury is important for determining his long-term prognosis.
A dislocated knee is an extremely serious injury that has threatened the careers of players in the past. Former South Carolina running back Marcus Lattimore had a similar injury in 2012, dislocating his right knee and tearing every ligament that held the joint together. He also had nerve damage. Lattimore, an All-SEC selection as a true freshman in ’10, had been a projected first-round NFL draft pick before the injury. He was selected in the fourth round by the 49ers six months after the injury but never took the field. He announced his retirement in Nov. 2014.
Until we know whether Hill has any nerve damage, it’s difficult to say what his chances of recovery are. Texans running back Nick Chubb also dislocated his left knee while in college at Georgia, tearing his MCL, LCL and PCL. There was also damage to the knee cartilage but no nerve or artery damage. Chubb was able to return to the field 11 months later and has gone on to have an eight-year NFL career with four Pro Bowl selections.
Even if Hill has escaped nerve or artery damage, it’s still fair to wonder how the injury will impact his career. The primary reason why Hill has been one of the most productive receivers of his generation is his superior athleticism. (Since Hill entered the league in 2016, no player has had more receiving yards than he has.) His combination of straight-line speed and unparalleled agility makes him one of the best route runners in the NFL. Those are skills that diminish with age, even without traumatic leg injuries. Hill will be 32 at the start of next season and coming off of a major injury. Will he still be able to leave defenders in the dust?
Hill may have played his final game in a Dolphins uniform. He’s set to carry a cap hit of $51.8 million next season, but Miami can save $36.3 million by releasing him. The choice is clear. The severity of Hill’s injury means it’s already unlikely that he’ll be ready to go in Week 1 next season. Do you really want to pay a guy with a mangled knee, who was already coming off his worst year as a pro, over $50 million for maybe half a season, or do you want to free up more than half that much to spread around a roster that has numerous holes?
In the near term, the injury extinguishes any hope the Dolphins had of making the postseason. After an 0–3 start, that was already going to be a tall order. Without the focal point of their offense, it’s going to be impossible. Miami simply doesn’t have the offensive firepower to make up for its lackluster defense. Coach Mike McDaniel was already on the hot seat before Hill went down, and the injury won’t help his job security. The Dolphins could be looking at a total refresh in 2026.
The best of Sports Illustrated
- The Bengals have been outscored 76–13 over their last two games and, as Gilberto Manzano writes, not even Joe Burrow could rescue a roster with this many holes.
- Zach Davis unpacks the strange tie between the Packers and Cowboys, where Micah Parsons’s Dallas return left both teams and fans without closure.
- The Chiefs’ offensive resurgence and the Rams’ passing attack has both teams moving up in Conor Orr’s latest NFL Power Rankings, while the Ravens and Vikings slide.
- The MLB playoffs are here, and SI’s staff weighs in with their postseason picks and bold predictions for October drama.
- Stephanie Apstein details how Garrett Crochet went from bullpen question mark to Boston’s Cy Young contender and Game 1 playoff ace.
- As the Big Ten rises, Bryan Fischer breaks down why the SEC’s once-unmatched dominance is fading and now faces serious questions about its future.
- Pat Forde outlines the uphill battle Notre Dame will encounter after an 0–2 start, and what hurdles the Irish must clear to keep their College Football Playoff hopes alive.
- SI’s men’s college basketball preseason Top 25 countdown hits No. 24, a perennial powerhouse with a dominant big man, a flashy newcomer and lingering questions that could define its season.
The top five…
… plays from the Monday Night Football doubleheader:
5. An absolute missile from Bo Nix to Marvin Mims Jr.
4. Another bullet of a throw by Nix to Courtland Sutton for a touchdown.
3. Garrett Wilson’s concentration on a tough touchdown catch.
2. Darren Waller’s toe-tap touchdown catch.
1. A 41-yard touchdown scramble by Justin Fields.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as SI:AM | The Latest on Tyreek Hill’s Devastating Injury.
