Dolphins’ Jaylen Waddle steps up with Tyreek Hill out vs. Jets
MIAMI GARDENS — Miami Dolphins star wide receiver Tyreek Hill was out for Sunday’s game against the New York Jets, and the Dolphins needed Jaylen Waddle to step up and be a true No. 1.
He did.
Waddle had eight receptions for 142 yards, both season highs, and caught the perfect 60-yard pass from quarterback Tua Tagovailoa — a season long for Waddle — in the second quarter that put Miami up 17 points and made it clear the Jets weren’t competing with the Dolphins in a 30-0 thrashing at Hard Rock Stadium.
“You have Jaylen Waddle really rise to the occasion when the team absolutely needed it,” coach Mike McDaniel said.
Waddle ran right past Jets cornerback D.J. Reed with no safety help over the top, and Tagovailoa put it on the money for the highlight-reel touchdown.
“Just a simple double move,” Waddle said. “Tua put it on the money. We made a play.”
Added McDaniel: “There’s not many people that could cover the route that Jaylen Waddle ran because there’s not many people that are capable of going vertical. He did a left-right move and then still found an exit angle, which is a very hard thing to do.”
After the score that gave the Dolphins a 17-0 lead, Waddle had two third-down conversions on a drive that was capped by running back Raheem Mostert’s second touchdown and put Miami ahead by 24 heading into halftime. Later, the two connected on a fourth-and-5 early in the second half.
“When a guy like Tyreek’s out, it’s not just one person that has to step up,” Waddle said. “It’s the whole team, whole unit when you have a caliber of guy like Tyreek Hill, a Hall of Fame guy like Cheetah that’s missing. I think we did a good job. That’s a good defense, a great team, a great organization that we competed against.”
Hill missed his first game since joining Miami in 2022. After Tagovailoa acknowledged in the past week that the Dolphins offense was out of sorts in Monday night’s loss to the Tennessee Titans when Hill was absent for about half the game, the quarterback challenged Waddle and the rest of Miami’s pass catchers to step up.
Hill was questionable entering Sunday with his ankle injury that kept him from practicing all week. McDaniel called it “pretty close” on Hill playing against the Jets.
“That wasn’t the easiest decision,” the Dolphins coach said, “but when you look at what’s the best decision for the team and what’s the best decision for him, it was a collective decision.”
McDaniel said Friday that Hill would get an opportunity to test the left ankle pregame to determine if he can play on it. The veteran eighth-year receiver was given the freedom to determine his playing fate, but his ability to cut on the bum ankle was a concern.
The elite, electric receiving target aggravated the ankle he initially hurt in the Nov. 24 win over the Jets at MetLife Stadium in Monday night’s loss to the Titans. He exited in the middle of the first quarter of that game and didn’t return until the middle of the third period, in and out of the lineup once he re-entered.
Hill has 1,542 receiving yards through 13 games, which had him on pace for the NFL’s first 2,000-yard receiving season before missing Sunday’s game.
Waddle also had an injury scare in the first quarter with his chest after falling to the ground hard after going airborne for a catch that was negated by an Austin Jackson hold.
“Just got the wind knocked out of me,” Waddle said. “Kind of landed on my side, back, got the wind knocked out. Happy to catch my breath for a little bit.”
Other injuries
Along with the Hill, cornerback Xavien Howard and safety Jevon Holland were out. That for a secondary that already had safety DeShon Elliott ruled out Friday due to concussion protocol.
Kader Kohou started opposite Jalen Ramsey in the base defense. Ramsey shadowed Jets top receiver Garrett Wilson. And, in the nickel package, Eli Apple was on the boundary with Kohou in the slot.
The starting safety combination with Holland and Elliott out was Brandon Jones and Elijah Campbell. Jones had two interceptions, his first two since his season-ending knee injury in 2022. Holland missed his third consecutive game with MCL sprains to both knees.
Howard came away from the Titans game with a hip injury suffered in the first quarter. Although he made it through Monday night, he has now missed three games of the season after also being out for late October games against Philadelphia and New England.
Despite entering with their status in question, running back De’Von Achane and offensive linemen Terron Armstead, Austin Jackson and Liam Eichenberg all played.
Achane played through the toe injury sustained against Tennessee. He finished with 32 rushing yards on nine carries and three catches for 30 yards.
The availability of Armstead, Eichenberg and Jackson was a welcome sight for an offensive line that has been decimated by injuries, already with center Connor Williams out for season with a torn ACL in his left knee, left guard Isaiah Wynn still on injured reserve with a quadriceps injury and right guard Robert Hunt out Sunday with a hamstring ailment.
Jackson, however, left Sunday’s win over New York with the oblique flaring back up.
Armstead returned after missing Monday night against the Titans with ankle and knee injuries. Eichenberg hurt his calf against Tennessee. He was right back in the walking boot on his right foot after the game in the locker room.
Dolphins outside linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel was active after also entering Sunday questionable with an oblique injury. He started and had four tackles with half a sack, two quarterback hits and a pass defensed.
Healthy inactives for Miami were outside linebacker Jason Pierre-Paul and quarterback Skylar Thompson.
