Tyreek Hill injury: What it means for recovery, the Dolphins

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill likely will miss at least the remainder of the 2025 regular season after suffering a dislocated left knee in Monday night’s 27-21 win over the New York Jets.

It’s a massive blow to a Dolphins team that picked up its first win of the season but now must claw back from a 1-3 record without a player who has been the NFL’s preeminent home run threat for the past decade.

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“Next man up,” Miami running back De’Von Achane said of losing Hill after Monday’s game. “We’ve just got to make sure we stay ahead of the sticks. I feel like anybody on this team, when they got the ball in their hands, they can make plays. We just got to practice and just got to face the fact that we might not have him.”

This is unfamiliar territory for a Dolphins team that since 2022 has played only one game without Hill — around whom coach Mike McDaniel’s offense is built. (Miami did spend most of the offseason and training camp without Hill as he rehabbed from multiple injuries.)

So, what does his knee injury mean for Hill’s season and his time in Miami? And how will it impact the Dolphins, including quarterback Tua Tagovailoa? Dolphins reporter Marcel Louis-Jacques, ESPN senior writer and injury analyst Stephania Bell, and NFL analytics writer Seth Walder answer the biggest questions.

How long should we expect Hill to be out? What is the usual timetable for a dislocated knee?

All we can say at this point is that Hill’s 2025 season is over. The timetable for recovery is dependent on which structures are specifically involved and the extent of surgical repair.

The term “knee dislocation” simply describes the base result of the injury: The knee has been forced into a position that exceeds its normal range of motion, and the bones are no longer in their proper alignment. Dislocations can happen in different directions, and the extent of injury can vary depending on the forces through the joint at the time of injury.

With a knee dislocation, there is typically trauma to some of the main stabilizing ligaments: anterior cruciate ligament, posterior cruciate ligament, medial collateral ligament and lateral collateral ligament. Other associated tissues in the area can be injured, such as the meniscus, bone and cartilage. But there are two particular structures of critical importance: the peroneal nerve and the popliteal artery.

The peroneal nerve travels from the back of the knee toward the outer aspect of the knee before it dives deeper into the muscles of the lower leg. It is responsible for both sensation and muscular control in the lower leg. If damaged during a traumatic injury such as a knee dislocation, it can lead to loss of motor control at the foot and ankle as well as regional sensory loss in the area.

The popliteal artery is located behind the knee. Trauma to the knee can injure the artery and threaten blood flow to the lower leg. If the artery is damaged, prompt surgical repair is critical. Concern for the artery in particular is the reason athletes suffering knee dislocations are immediately transported to the hospital for further imaging and evaluation. Vascular (blood vessel) surgery, if required, is performed promptly.

Surgical reconstruction for ligaments is secondary and often is delayed. The rehab and recovery process takes multiple months or up to a year and in some cases beyond; however, each case is unique depending on the extent of injury/surgery along with the individual’s health history and rehab course. — Bell

Should we expect Hill to make a full recovery? Who are some other players to have suffered the same injury?

The expectations for recovery are predicated on the specifics of the injury and the surgery or surgeries. There have been athletes who have returned to their sport following a knee dislocation, but it is hard to compare one player’s situation to another’s given the variance between injuries.

Marcus Lattimore comes to mind as a player who suffered a memorable in-game knee dislocation that resulted in his leg being visibly repositioned. Lattimore, a running back at South Carolina at the time, took a helmet to the knee against Tennessee in 2012 that resulted in an immediate dislocation. He was fortunate to not suffer either arterial or nerve damage, but it was still a complex multiple-ligament injury that required months of rehabilitation. Prior to getting hurt, Lattimore was expected to be a first-round pick in the 2013 NFL draft. He fell to the fourth round, where the San Francisco 49ers selected him, but would never play in an NFL game.

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Houston Texans running back Nick Chubb also dislocated his knee in college. In 2015, as a sophomore at Georgia, Chubb dislocated his left knee, tearing the MCL, LCL and PCL — three of the four primary stabilizing ligaments of the knee — and sustaining cartilage damage. As devastating as that injury was, Chubb also was fortunate to not suffer nerve or arterial damage. He had reconstructive surgery, rehabbed his knee and returned to play the 2016 season, during which he posted over 1,000 yards rushing for the Bulldogs. After another 1,000-yard season as a senior, Chubb was drafted by the Cleveland Browns. In his sixth season with the Browns, Chubb suffered a similarly devastating injury to the same knee, this time sustaining damage to the ACL, MCL, medial meniscus and medial joint capsule. The second injury required two surgeries to repair, but Chubb again was fortunate to escape nerve and artery damage. Remarkably, he returned to limited action in 2024 for the Browns then signed with the Texans in 2025 as a free agent.

While these two players’ injuries illustrate the range of outcomes that exists with knee dislocations, neither should be used as a barometer of comparison for Hill, as the extent of his injuries is not yet known. — Bell

What is Hill’s future with the Dolphins? Has he played his last game?

Hill agreed to a restructured contract last offseason that added $65 million in guaranteed money to the four-year, $120 deal he signed in 2022. Without knowing his recovery timetable, it’s tricky to speculate on his future with the team — but there is a digestible out for the team next offseason.

A post-June 1 cut or trade would save Miami $36 million in salary cap space, while creating roughly $15.9 million in dead cap in 2026 and $12.4 million in 2027. Hill will be 32 years old when the 2026 campaign begins and coming off the worst two-year stretch of his career (1,224 yards and seven TDs in 21 games). He was playing well before Monday night’s injury — catching all six of his targets for 67 yards — but he is an obvious starting point if the team decides to fully reset the roster after this season. Bear in mind, also, that the NFL is investigating recent allegations against Hill of domestic violence. — Louis-Jacques

How will the Dolphins’ offense cope without its focal point? Who will the team look at to get more touches?

Only Justin Jefferson has more receiving yards than Hill since 2022, and only Malik Nabers, A.J. Brown and Davante Adams have commanded a higher percentage of his team’s targets. So, Hill’s injury likely will have a massive impact not only on the Dolphins’ offense but on how opposing defenses prepare for it.

Jaylen Waddle caught 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.

Second-year wideout Malik Washington (eight catches for 47 yards in 2025) steps into an increased role and will have to give teams a reason not to hyperfocus on Waddle.

Although he has been a healthy scratch in all four games this season, Tahj Washington had a strong training camp and could be in line for more work in Hill’s absence. Tight end Darren Waller’s role likely will increase, as well. And De’Von Achane, who leads all NFL running backs in receptions and receiving yards since the start of last season, will be even more involved in the passing game than he is already. — Louis-Jacques

What do FPI and Miami’s remaining schedule strength say about the Dolphins’ chances without Hill?

It’s bleak. The Dolphins have the 11th-easiest schedule the rest of the way, but FPI sees them as the eighth-worst team in football going forward. The result? Just a 7% chance to make the playoffs (and less than a 1% chance to win the AFC East). The worst part: FPI only explicitly considers in-season quarterback injuries, so that number isn’t even fully accounting for Hill’s injury. That dispiriting forecast is based on the fact that Miami entered the season with relatively low expectations and has underperformed them with a 1-3 record and a defense that ranks 31st in EPA per play. This was probably true prior to Hill’s injury, but especially after it: The Dolphins should prioritize future seasons as they approach the trade deadline. — Walder