The Miami Dolphins are no strangers to drama. They can turn even the quietest of off-seasons into peculiar headlines. And amidst all the chaos from the Jaylen Waddle trade drama, doubts about Tua Tagovailoa’s durability, to the coaching shakeup, the rift between Tua and star wideout Tyreek Hill has been the primary topic of debate.

It was never about just them. We could see it on the field: visible frustration, missed connections, and locker room tension. But after months of uncertainty, tension, and quiet, we finally have an update on where those two stand right now. And it might just change everything we thought we knew about the duo.

Fast forward to August 2025, and Terron Armstead dropped a rather surprising insight into their relationship. He revealed that Tua and Hill have rebuilt a “very strong” relationship, forged through “a lot of time spent together” away from the spotlight. And after everything that went down? This is big.

Terron also added that there was some “repair that had to happen” after the last game last season. Oh, yeah, it had to. The entire situation astronomically escalated after a rough loss to the Jets late in the 2024 season, when Miami’s offense just couldn’t get going when it mattered most. Tyreek Hill’s frustration spilled over publicly. Not surprising.

He dropped a cryptic “I’m out” tweet and even changed his profile pic to that famous Antonio Brown Buccaneers exit meme. The man surely knows how to stir things up. GM Chris Grier was quick to calm things down, saying Hill hadn’t asked for a trade, but you could definitely feel the tension in the locker room after that. Especially between Tua and Tyreek.

And behind the scenes, it was a lot messier. Hill was agitated, feeling like the trust wasn’t all the way there, and the play-calling wasn’t putting their chemistry to work. Tua owned it after the season, saying patching things up was a top priority, but also keeping it real: this wasn’t the kind of thing you fix overnight.

It would’ve been okay if they kept that rift in the locker room, but it translated onto the pitch. Miami’s passing attack tumbled down to 19th in the league last season. A big fall off for an offense that sat at 7th just the year before. The magic between Tua and Tyreek, the spark that’s supposed to drive a top-tier passing game, just wasn’t there. And how could it be?

So, even if you don’t care about the personal drama between the two, this update is big. Because this directly affects how the season will look. But as far as it goes for Tua, he hasn’t had the best start to the season. Well, preseason. But it matters.

Locker room backs Zach Wilson after Tua’s poor display

Now that Tua and Hill are all patched up, you’d expect things to be smooth-sailing. But no. Not for Tua, at least. It went down during a joint practice with the Bears, and let’s just say, the day didn’t exactly start off pretty for the Dolphins’ QB1.

Tua came out looking a little out of sync in those early reps, and the Bears wasted no time making him pay for it. Three picks in one practice. Yeah, Tremaine Edmunds snatched one in the red zone, Jaquan Brisker jumped a route for another, and Kevin Byard capped it off with his own takeaway. And it wasn’t just the interceptions dragging things down.

The offense felt flat, missing some of its usual firepower with Tyreek Hill sitting out in shells nursing an oblique tweak. Without his top target and under constant pressure from Chicago’s defense, the passing game just couldn’t find its rhythm.

And that’s where Zach Wilson came in. The man changed everything. The ex-Jets QB stepped into the huddle late in the red-zone period and, without any warmup drama, zipped a strike to rookie Andrew Armstrong for a touchdown. And what happened next felt straight out of a highlight reel: the entire Dolphins sideline lit up, guys pouring onto the field to mob Armstrong and Wilson like it was a game-winner in December.

Yes, Tua is still obviously QB1, and Zach is behind him. It’s joint practice after all. It’s unlikely to change, but if a similar pattern unfolds in preseason snaps? The coaches will at least rethink the depth chart. And the locker room? They might rally behind the other guy.