The Miami Dolphins acquired perennial Pro Bowl wideout Tyreek Hill from the Kansas City Chiefs this offseason for five draft picks, including a first-round pick next month. Hill’s addition also meant a new contract extension, as Hill signed a reported four-year $120 million extension averaging $30 million per year with $72.2 million guaranteed.
It’s fair to assume Hill will be the focal point of Miami’s revamped offense. He’s a weapon that can do anything, whether it’s bringing a screen in the house or slamming down safeties for the long score. While Dolphins CEO Chris Grier dreams of how his new head coach Mike McDaniel will use Hill, he was put off by Hill’s initial request.
“Tyreek, the first thing he said was I want to make sure I get back there and get some (punt) returns every game,” Grier said, via The Palm Beach Post.
That’s right, Hill wants to be the punt return for his new team. Hill has returned a total of 86 punts in his career, but almost all of those touches came in his first few seasons in the league. He has conceded just one punt for zero yards in each of the last two regular seasons. However, given the chance, Hill was very effective as a returnee. In his rookie season, he returned 39 punts for 592 yards and two touchdowns, and also returned one of his 14 kick returns for a touchdown. Hill was named an All-Pro as a punt returner and also made the Pro Bowl.
If you recall, Hill returned a punt for 45 yards in the divisional round win over the Buffalo Bills.
So why did the Chiefs practically pull Hill out of his job when he returned Kahne? One factor was likely due to injury worries. Hill showed how effective he could be as a receiver, and there was no point risking one of your key offensive playmakers by allowing him to play on special teams.
The Dolphins will certainly want to keep Hill healthy but expect him to return more punts in the 2022 regular season than he has in recent years.