The Miami Dolphins felt like a dumpster fire at times last season. Tension in the locker room often boiled over, creating a culture that seemed to pull the team down instead of building it up. Tyreek Hill was a major part of that narrative, and it especially showed after the Dolphins' season-ending loss, when he made headlines with a fiery postgame comment.
“I'm out, bruh," Hill said. "It was great playing here, but at the end of the day, I have to do what's best for my career."
Since then, Hill has entered the summer seemingly determined to change the narrative and prove he's matured. However, Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa recently revealed that the locker room is still working to rebuild trust with the star wideout.
“It's not just with me, it's with a lot of the guys. I'm not the only one that heard that. You guys aren't the only people that heard that," Tagovailoa said. "A lot of people that follow football, that follow the Miami Dolphins, that follow Tyreek that are fans of his — everyone has seen that. So, when you say something like that, you don't just come back from that with, 'Hey, my bad.' You got to work that relationship up; you've got to build everything back up again.”
On Friday, Hill showed signs that he's taking accountability and trying to become a better teammate. During practice, a scuffle broke out, and despite not participating due to an oblique injury, Hill ran into the pile and pulled one of his teammates out of the fight.
“Most impressive sight of today’s practice was watching Tyreek Hill carry Dee Eskridge out of the scrum with one hand. Picked him up and talked him off like a toddler,” the Miami Herald’s Omar Kelly posted.
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This moment demonstrated real character growth from Hill. Even while not practicing due to injury, he put himself in the middle of a heated situation to deescalate things and protect his teammate. It’s the kind of progress the Dolphins have been hoping to see. For now, Hill appears to be taking steps in the right direction — but one more slip-up could make his standing with the organization done for good.