The Miami Dolphins are going to need someone in their receiving corps to step up with Tyreek Hill now slated to be out for the season.
Hill suffered a dislocated knee in Miami’s 27-21 win over the New York Jets on Monday night. The star wide receiver had 265 receiving yards and a touchdown on 21 receptions in the 2025 NFL season.
Since 2022, only Justin Jefferson has more receiving yards than Hill. In that same span, only Malik Nabers, A.J. Brown and Davante Adams have commanded a higher percentage of his team's targets.
With such a large target share gone from its offense Miami is going to need someone to step up — and it is going to have to come from more than just Jaylen Waddle, who will now be keyed in on as the No. 1 option by opposing defenses.
Waddle has been one of the NFL’s most effective wideouts — registering over 1,000 yards in his first three seasons in the league — but he did so with the luxury of Hill taking the bulk of the tough assignments. Now, it’s going to be his job to open up space for someone else.
He has shown that he is more than capable of handling it, catching eight passes for 142 yards and a touchdown in Miami's lone game without Hill since 2022 — and with a worse supporting cast in the wide receivers room.
Malik Washington will get an opportunity
Enter Miami’s new second option in the wide receivers room — second-year wideout Malik Washington. The Virginia product has eight catches for 47 yards through the first four weeks of the season and has flashed a brand of speed that will keep opposing defenses guessing.
Washington had two receptions and two rushing attempts for 21 total yards on Monday night.
In his senior season with Virginia in 2023, Washington led the ACC in receptions (110) and receiving yards (1,426) while hauling in nine touchdowns.
The Dolphins selected Washington in the sixth round of the 2024 NFL Draft and have found different ways to use him in their offense. He finished his rookie campaign with 223 receiving yards on 26 receptions in 2024.
This year, the Dolphins have already found other ways to incorporate Washington and his speed in their offense. He has 60 rushing yards on eight carries in 2025 while being utilized as a gadget option via the jet sweep. They used him in a similar role more sparingly in 2024, when he ran for 25 yards and a touchdown on five carries.
Miami will also have Darren Waller — who scored two touchdowns in the Dolphins’ victory against the Jets on Monday — and veteran wide receiver Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, who had 497 receiving yards and nine touchdowns on 32 receptions for the Tennessee Titans in 2024.
The Dolphins fought their way back from an 0-3 start with a big win on Monday Night Football and they are going to have to push even harder to claw back into playoff contention without their star wide receiver.
Miami will look to get its second consecutive victory on the road against the Carolina Panthers on Sunday, October 5. The Dolphins will have a tough schedule to follow afterwards, with matchups against the Los Angeles Chargers, Atlanta Falcons, Baltimore Ravens and Buffalo Bills coming in four of the following five weeks.
