Why Dolphins’ Tyreek Hill doesn’t mind when Mike McDaniel calls him out

By Henry McKenna
FOX Sports AFC East Writer

When the Miami Dolphins file into their meeting room during training camp, most of them hope new head coach Mike McDaniel makes no mention of them. They hope they do not appear on the screen as McDaniel explains what not to do. 

But receiver Tyreek Hill is different.

“I want to be the guy that’s always pointed out because I feel like I love a challenge no matter what,” Hill said. “So if I do bad on something, if I mess up a play or something like that, I want to be that guy that Coach calls out on film.” 

So while the fringe players shrink from criticism, one of the best receivers in the NFL welcomes feedback. He doesn’t mind if McDaniel makes an example of him. 

“Because if you think about it like this, if Coach is calling out like the fifth, sixth receiver, who’s barely getting reps, he’s going to feel some type of way,” Hill said. “But if he’s able to call me out and then call that guy out again, that guy is going be like, ‘OK, he’s calling out Reek, so I need to pick up my [game].'”

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It doesn’t matter that Hill finished the 2021 season with 111 catches, 1,239 receiving yards and nine touchdowns for the Kansas City Chiefs. It doesn’t matter he’s the fastest player in the NFL. And it doesn’t matter that the Dolphins gave up first-, second- and fourth-round picks to add the wideout. He wants to get ripped for his mistakes just like everyone else — and clearly more than everyone else.

“His personality, he’s one of one,” McDaniel said last week. “The thing that people really don’t realize that is so cool about him, is he’s also very, very accountable. He’s one of the first people that I can show in team meetings and say, ‘Hey, this isn’t to our standard,’ or ‘This isn’t right.’ Because 10 times out of 10, ever since we started with him here, when I do that, the next day in the team meeting I get to show him correcting the mistake. And it kind of sets the tone.”

In the past, Hill has not set the best example, having his share of off-the-field issues. He was arrested for domestic violence while in college at Oklahoma State, with the receiver following state orders of anger management and supervision. In 2019, he was investigated for child abuse, but Hill was ultimately not charged. The domestic abuse case had a major impact on Hill’s draft status, as he fell to the Chiefs in the fifth round in 2016. It’s unclear if Hill’s off-the-field issues played a factor in his trade market this offseason. 

When it comes to football, Hill has been exactly what the Dolphins need. He’s a former NFL champion who has already elevated meetings and the team’s mentality. He has been brimming with praise for Tua Tagovailoa — almost farcically so, with statements about how Tagvailoa is more accurate than Patrick Mahomes. But even with breakout rookie receiver Jaylen Waddle in 2021, Miami’s passing offense underwhelmed, as Tagovailoa threw for 2,653 yards, 16 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. 

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So it’s a good sign that Hill has been instantly electric in Miami. He remains impossible to cover, with Dolphins cornerback Xavien Howard struggling against his new teammate in practice. They have gone back and forth.

“I think [Howard] plays off Tyreek as well,” McDaniel said earlier in training camp. “Two great competitors that are prideful, that know that every day, they can’t afford to be, ‘Oh, I’m just not on,’ because of the consequences and ramifications for the rest of the team and what we count on them to do on a day-in, day-out basis.”

Howard has been the model of excellence for the defense for years. And it seems Hill is beginning to turn himself into the model of excellence for the offense. If he never takes off a rep — just like Howard — then no one else on the team can get complacent. 

Hill can help the Dolphins shift the power dynamic in the AFC East. Maybe the Buffalo Bills are at the top now, but it’s unlikely they’ll have consistent control like the New England Patriots did with Bill Belichick and Tom Brady.

No, the Dolphins are firmly in the mix if they can jumpstart their offense. 

Hill seems intent upon doing exactly that. Look no further than what he did during Miami’s joint practices with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He was a human highlight reel during 1-on-1 reps against the opposing cornerbacks. 

“[Hill] is a different kind of receiver all around,” Buccaneers corner Carlton Davis said last week. “He brings something to the game that no other receiver does, so to be able to go up against him in practice, especially early on in camp just to help you fine-tune your skills and your technique, it was really good.” 

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If Tagovailoa can take a developmental leap — one that seems inevitable with the weapons Miami has acquired for him — both Hill and Waddle should enjoy monster seasons. And they’ll feed off each other, with Hill taking defensive attention away from Waddle. And then when defenses get frustrated about Waddle, he’ll return the favor, taking attention from Hill.

“I think any quarterback could say that having someone like Tyreek, having someone like Jaylen Waddle, that they could make those throws, too,” Tagovailoa said.

That is laughably on-point. Tagovailoa doesn’t have to be special in 2022. His pass-catchers are already special. He just has to get them the ball, and they’ll do the rest. 

That’s exactly what can get a young quarterback back on the path to successful development.

Prior to joining FOX Sports as the AFC East reporter, Henry McKenna spent seven years covering the Patriots for USA TODAY Sports Media Group and Boston Globe Media. Follow him on Twitter at @McKennAnalysis.