Chiefs or Dolphins? Picking the better Tyreek Hill

FRANKFURT, Germany — When Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill lines up Sunday (9:30 a.m. ET, NFL Network) to face the Chiefs for the first time since Kansas City traded him on March 23, 2022, it will will raise an interesting question. : Is the Dolphins’ version of Hill better than the Chiefs’ version?

When it comes to individual milestones, no stat speaks volumes more than Hill’s current pace in receiving yards per game, which is the best in the league at 126.8. If he continues at this pace, he would finish with 2,154, which would break Calvin Johnson’s single-season receptions record (1,964) set in 2012, when the regular season was 16 games long.

Hill was a key member of two Super Bowl teams in Kansas City, including Super Bowl LIV in Miami, where he had nine catches for 105 yards in a 31-20 victory over the San Francisco 49ers.

Hill benefited from elite quarterback play with both teams, catching passes from two-time MVP Patrick Mahomes in Kansas City and current MVP favorite Tua Tagovailoa in Miami. And Andy Reid of the Chiefs and Mike McDaniel of the Dolphins are considered two of the best players in the NFL.

Hill’s nickname is Cheetah, but Reid isn’t sure that’s entirely accurate.

“It’s definitely not a cheetah, because a cheetah storms off and then rests for eight hours,” Reid said. “It’s not [Hill]. He can go on and on.

“It’s pretty amazing.”

So which version is better? Here, with help from ESPN Stats & Info, you’ll find a comparison of Hill circa 2016-21 in Kansas City and Hill since the start of the 2022 season in Miami. Hill weighs in and ESPN fantasy football/NFL analyst Mike Clay picks a winner.

Individual statistics

Leaders: Hill has improved his receiving in each of his six seasons with the Chiefs, with the exception of 2019, where he missed four games due to injury. He went from a primarily gadget-type player as a rookie in 2016 to their undisputed No. 1 with his first 1,000-yard season in 2017. He reached his peak in yards (1,479) in 2018, when Mahomes took over. entrance. In 2021, his final season with the Chiefs, Hill complained about running shorter routes and recorded his lowest yards per catch average (11.2), outside of his rookie season. — Chiefs reporter Adam Teicher

Dolphins: In 25 games with the Dolphins, Hill rushed for more yards than in any 25-game span with the Chiefs. He leads the NFL with eight touchdowns of at least 40 yards in that span, and he’s fourth in yards after the catch. On Sunday, Hill became the first player since 1961 to eclipse 1,000 receiving yards in eight games. — Dolphins reporter Marcel Louis-Jacques

Team success

Leaders: It’s no coincidence that the Chiefs began their current streak of seven straight AFC West championships the year they drafted Hill (he was a first-team All Pro as a rookie). The Chiefs had never won back-to-back division championships until this streak began, and Mahomes’ departure in 2018 solidified the Chiefs’ position among the league’s best. The Chiefs reached the AFC Championship Game in each of Hill’s final four seasons and won two, losing the other two in overtime. –Teicher

Dolphins: The Dolphins are averaging 453.3 yards of offense, putting them on track to break the New Orleans Saints’ 2011 single-season record of 7,474 yards (although the Saints did so in 16 matches).

The Chiefs made the playoffs in Hill’s first year, just like the Dolphins did last season. But Hill helped Miami advance to the playoffs for the first time since 2016, when the Chiefs were no strangers to the playoffs. –Louis-Jacques

As a teammate

Leaders: Hill has been critical of the Chiefs at times since being traded to the Dolphins, saying the Chiefs haven’t always taken full advantage of his talent. But aside from a few grumbles during his final season in Kansas City about the shorter routes, he mostly kept any frustration to himself so as not to disrupt the locker room. Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce indicated after the trade that he appreciated that about Hill.

Reid and Mahomes, meanwhile, said they liked Hill and understood any frustration. “When he’s a competitor like that, you want to have a chance to impact games,” Mahomes said after the trade. I know he wanted to get the ball as much as possible to help us win. It wasn’t a selfish thing. We were winning football games, especially at the end of the season, so I don’t think that he really brought this to our attention.”

Mahomes also said on his weekly radio show that Hill’s work ethic is rubbing off on him. “I don’t think everyone realizes how hard this man works,” he said. “He’s one of the hardest working guys I’ve ever been around.” –Teicher

Dolphins: Hill’s on-field credentials, including his status as perhaps the fastest player in the NFL, preceded him to Miami, but Tagovailoa said he didn’t know what to expect from Hill as a as a teammate.

“What really surprised me was who he was as a leader, his work ethic, and then the way he took ownership of what he was asked to do,” Tagovailoa said. “And then it’s almost like a trickle-down effect for a lot of the guys in his room. They respect him as a player, as someone who takes advice from him and follows his lead.”

Hill was named captain by his teammates in each of his two seasons in Miami.

McDaniel once criticized Hill during last training camp for not recording the fastest speed during the team’s practice that day.

The next day, Hill was clocked at 23 mph — which would be the fastest ball-carrier speed recorded by NextGen Stats since 2020 if it happened during a game.

“He did some really remarkable things last year, but he took everything to another level this year as far as the details and fundamentals of the day-to-day approach to being captain and leading,” McDaniel said. “So it’s an exciting time, and I think nothing is better than going to a practice field when Tyreek is there, because what people are missing is yes, he is fast – I want to see someone move faster than him in training during the week.” –Louis-Jacques

Hill’s Thoughts

“I know a lot more now,” he said. “Obviously when you come into the league you’re trying to find your place and understand how the game is played, but now I’ve been able to learn from other veterans in the locker room I was in and apply it here .”

“I’m quite happy that [the trade] happened,” Hill added. “Obviously the situation I’m in is great. I have great teammates. My family is from Miami and I also achieved one of my goals: to be one of the highest paid in the league. So, it’s all right.”

And the winner is …

In six seasons with the Chiefs, Hill peaked with a 25% target share (9.4 per game), 111 receptions and 1,479 receiving yards. He managed to break all those marks – 30% target share (10.0 per game), 119 receptions and 1,710 yards – in his first season in Miami. This is despite Tagovailoa missing essentially five full games, which can’t be overstated given that all 15 of Hill’s touchdowns since arriving in Miami have come from Tagovailoa.

Speaking of touchdowns, Hill had his best TD season in Kansas City (17 in 2020), but he could very well tie or break that mark in 2023 (eight in eight games).

Perhaps the best evidence that Hill has been better and more valuable in Miami is how each offense has changed. While the Chiefs easily led the NFL in passing yards and won the Super Bowl without Hill last season, Miami’s offense jumped to sixth in the league in passing yards — that’s the first top 10 in the category since a guy named Dan Marino led. them to an eighth place in 1995. Miami is first in offensive points and yardage in 2023 and has not led those two categories since the Don Shula/Marino duo succeeded in 1984.

Hill was an absolute superstar and a big part of the Chiefs’ success during his time in Kansas City. However, he wasn’t fully exploited until he arrived in Miami and took his game to another level over the last year and a half.

The winner: Tyreek Hill in Miami

–Clay