MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill had a not-so-subtle message for opposing defensive backs Thursday: Better keep that toilet paper handy.
Hill, meeting with reporters for the first time this training camp, was asked what might go through the minds of DBs when he and fellow speedster Jaylen Waddle line up on the same side of the formation this fall.
Let’s paraphrase Hill’s response: Bowels will get evacuated.
Miami Dolphins’ Tyreek Hill/Jaylen Waddle combo could be fearsome
“They’re scared sh–less,” Hill said. He later added, “I am never going to say another man is going to be able to stop us. It really doesn’t matter who lines up against us. Coach [Mike] McDaniel, Tua [Tagovailoa] have confidence in every single guy who lines up on offense to win their matchup.”
The regular season is still another six weeks off, but Hill’s trash talk game is in midseason form. Thursday’s comments came just a few days after he said on ESPN that Tagovailoa is the most accurate passer in football.
But beneath his braggadocio, there’s some truth. We may have never seen quite this combination of skill and speed in a receiver tandem. Hill has Olympic speed, going sub-4.3 in the 40 coming out of college. Waddle clocked in the 4.3s even before he stepped foot on campus at Alabama.
And combined, they had 215 catches for 2,254 yards and 15 touchdowns in 2021. That was playing on different teams. The mind struggles to think what they could do together — assuming high-level quarterback play from Tagovailoa.
“Just his energy,” Waddle said when asked what impressed him the most about his new teammate. “He’s going to be the same guy each and every day — on the field, off the field. … It’s just great to see him out here, making plays, and then going into film. He’s going to talk. It’s pretty good.”
Waddle has made some significant changes since his rookie year. He cut his hair, and he now wears tinted contacts that have turned his pupils blood red.
They look intimidating, but that’s not the reason he has them.
“Mike thought it would help me play better, wearing tinted contacts,” Waddle said. “Y’all are probably wondering why my eyes are red. It’s for a reason. It’s not style.
“For me, these are prescribed tinted, so it’s kind of like I’m wearing sunglasses right now looking at you. It kind of helps in the return game, me eyeing the ball, for where I put my hands when I catch it.”