The cheetah slows down: Will Tyreek Hill’s injury be the end of his career? 

It was at the Hard Rock stadium in Miami on September 29^th. During third quarter. Dolphins’ receiver Tyreek Hill was under heavy coverage by his defender; the ball comes soaring in as they’re headed out of bounds. Tyreek catches the ball as his defender hurls into his back, pushing him out of bounds. Hill’s left foot is the first to step out of bounds. From the momentum of being pushed, Hill’s leg is hyperextended, and his kneecap pushes past the lower half of the leg, causing the leg to snap into a full 90-degree angle going outward. 

The star wide receiver for the Dolphins Tyreek Hill had suffered a tragic left knee dislocation.  

According to orthopedic doctor David Abassi, he is going to need multiple surgeries and reconstructions of more than 2 torn ligaments in his knee. He will be out at the least for the rest of the season. 

With an injury this serious, the future of Hill’s NFL career is uncertain. But comparing Hill’s situation to other injury stories tells us that a comeback is not out of the question. 

Hill was one of the biggest offensive weapons for the Dolphins but also all over the NFL. Losing “Cheetah,” as he is called, will put a halt to the Miami Dolphins offensive domination until they can find an alternative.  

Since 2022 when Hill joined the Dolphins, he has been carrying the team to say the least. Gaining more than 4700 receiving yards and scoring 27 touchdowns, he has been one of the most intimidating wide receivers in the league. 

According to Mike McDaniels, the coach of the Miami Dolphins, with the news that Tyreek hill will be missing the rest of the season and more, the Dolphins will be in trouble. before he was injured, Hill was averaging almost 90 receiving yards per game. Comparing this to the next highest players yards per game, De’Von Achane, the running back, only accomplished about 2/3 of the star player’s, gaining an average of 63 yards per game. Hill was the backbone of the Miami Dolphins and without him, the team will struggle to even compete with the rest of the league in the coming season. 

 We have seen players in the past make an early comeback to the NFL from injuries similar to the Cheetah. In 2011 on Christmas Eve, Adrian Peterson tore his ACL and MCL.  Medical professionals often state knee injuries of this capacity and severity will take at least a year to perform multiple surgeries, physiotherapy and other rest and recovery, but within just eight months of recovery, he made it back to the Minnesota Vikings and he didn’t stop there. Adrian proceeded to come back better than ever, rushing for 2097 yards and winning the NFL MVP award and finishing his season just nine yards from the single season rushing record.  

It seemed like a miracle.  

Another star player we can compare Tyreek to is Tom Brady. In 2008, Brady tore his ACL in the season opener game.  The injury was devastating but Tom was able to make a full recovery and comeback and returned to play for the New England Patriots in 2009, leading them to the playoffs and eventually winning his 7^th Superbowl ring in 2021 with Tampa Bay.  

Carson Wentz is another story of a major comeback from injury. Carson Wentz tore his ACL and LCL in 2017 while having one of the best seasons of his career with the Philadelphia Eagles. He even missed his own team’s Super Bowl win. Still, he did come back better than ever in 2018, with 3074 yards, 21 touchdowns and 11 interceptions in only 11 games. 

Based on these players’ stories, it’s not impossible that we might see a Tyreek Hill comeback early in the 2026 season with the Dolphins and maybe even perform better than what’s been seen in him before. 

After the injury in an interview with CBC Sports, Tyreek has maintained a positive attitude. “I really wasn’t even thinking about the injury,” he said. ”I was just thinking about the great times I’ve had playing this game and just me being in Miami. It all came full circle. I know this wasn’t it, but I was just happy bro.” 

Hill continues to try to find the upside in his current uncertain situation.  

“I get time to think about my kids, I get time to travel, I get time to like really to sit down and enjoy my life and not always train.”  

Cover Image: NFL