Even before Tyreek Hill suffered a nasty injury on Monday night, he provided just as much of a distraction to the Miami Dolphins as he did worthwhile production. Maybe even more.
After dislocating and tearing multiple ligaments in his left knee, the speedy receiver doesn't provide much value at all to Mike McDaniel's team. Trade noise had ramped up around Hill, who made it known he wasn't thrilled in South Beach, early in the season, with some wondering if the Dolphins would ship him back to the Kansas City Chiefs.
They should've.
Even if not reuniting him with Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes, Miami should've gotten what they could from who they could for the controversial wideout. The Athletic's Jeff Howe reported on Monday, prior to Hill's season-ending injury, that, in a poll of 13 NFL executives and coaches, six believed Hill could've netted the Dolphins a third-round draft pick.
The Miami Dolphins ended up with nothing for Tyreek Hill
More draft capital could've helped the team look toward the future. Miami won its first game of the season after Hill was hurt, but a 1-3 start doesn't typically bode well for postseason hopes.
Before the season, Hill didn't take part in team drills during spring practices and was absent for three weeks of training camp, including the team's four joint practices. McDaniel said it allowed the team to figure out who it was without him.
"I thought that, in years past, when he'd be out for a day or two or something would come up, we didn't have the same competitive spirit," McDaniel said. "I thought this offseason, we were able to develop that practicing joints and doing all that. So that's productive. It should be helpful for the guys so they're not going in uncharted territory."
If that's truly the case, why didn't they cut their losses? Instead, McDaniel clung to whatever hope he had of keeping his job when this season's up. He hasn't been able to end the franchise's playoff win drought, which dates back to 2000, and Miami doesn't quite fit the mold of a Super Bowl contender this season, either.
Hill stirred up drama after last season's finale, taking the approach that he was going to do what was best for him. He had to walk the comments back, and quarterback Tua Tagovailoa even said Hill had to regain his teammates' trust.
If that wasn't enough of a reason to offload him, Hill was accused of domestic violence a few times, which only caused more headaches for the team.
Hill didn't look too broken up about his situation while being carted off the field at Hard Rock Stadium. McDaniel said it was because Hill wanted to remain upbeat for his team.
Or, you know, he may know his bumpy time with the Dolphins is speeding toward its end. It's best for both sides. Except now, instead of getting something back for not having Hill, Miami is left with nothing.