Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle
Getty
Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle
The Miami Dolphins have now gone form one of the NFL’s best WR duos to the league to now having to rebuild their corps. After the release of Tyreek Hill, the Dolphins traded away Jaylen Waddle to the Broncos today, leaving them with a hole at the position. However, Hill seemed to be very happy about the situation for his former teammate.
In a post that Hill made on his Instagram story , he seemingly lent his support to Waddle, simply posting a picture of the trade and saying, “Go thrive my boy be great!!!”
FinsXtra
📲 Former Miami Dolphins WR Tyreek Hill reacting to Jaylen Waddle’s trade to the Denver Broncos: “Go thrive my boy be great!!!” (@cheetah) #PhinsUp
A Strong Bond Between Former Teammates
For Waddle, the move must have come with mixed emotions after his time with the Dolphins and especially his former college teammate Tua Tagovailoa. Add in the fact that Tua and Hill’s countless injuries were not his fault and it becomes an ever more painful situation for Waddle.
Hill showing his support to Waddle is a prime example of the relationship the two players still had throughout all the tension. Despite Hill’s somewhat rogue demeanor when it came to talks about his team, he still showed that he was willing to defend certain teammates with this gesture.
Unfortunately for Hill, he may be watching Waddle from the sidelines next season as no team has picked him up as of yet, perhaps being put off by his recent ACL tear and subsequent surgery. Still, chances are that both wide receivers could be in new homes next season, with the Dolphins now focusing on building an offense around Malik Willis.
New Opportunities in Denver, Uncertainty in Miami
For Waddle, while splitting with the Dolphins is brutal, getting to play in Denver under Sean Payton, with Bo Nix throwing him the ball, maybe even as the premier pass catcher in that offense, combined with that elite defense, could make some noise in the NFL. Had Waddle stayed in Miami, he would have had much more immense pressure on his shoulders to perform as the WR1.
Now, he gets the chance to make a bigger name for himself while still being on the cusp of breaking out as a true lead receiver for an elite team. At 27 years old still, time is on his side, with the Broncos squarely in win-now mode.
For the Dolphins, this shows that they are all in on building through the draft, acquiring as much draft capital as possible. This also shows that there may have been a bit of bitterness left over from how the previous regime mishandled certain situations, and as a result, players such as Tua, Hill, and Waddle had to leave.
Hill’s post however, proves that despite some bad blood, there is still a connection between those that had to be cast off, even if there was reason behind it. For now, it seems as if Hill may be the one player on the outside looking in, cheering on those he supports from the sidelines. But it also raises a startling question about the direction Miami is taking after such a promising team broke down so quickly.