The Miami Dolphins grabbed their first win, 27-21, over the winless New York Jets. But the celebration was spoiled when Tyreek Hill left the game with a knee injury. However, according to head coach Mike McDaniel, an injured Hill is still more of a leader than anyone else.

Yes, fresh off a knee surgery, he popped up in one of the team meetings, and McDaniel used the moment to motivate the locker room: “If Tyreek misses these team meetings, you guys are lucky,” McDaniel told his players. Sounds confusing? One fan, too, faced a similar issue, but reporter David Furones on X clarified: “I can understand why you’re confused because you might be reading “misses” as not attending. He’s saying “misses” as in he longs to be in the meetings as an active player — Tyreek misses attending meetings. And others are lucky to still be healthy to attend meetings as players available for game day.”

Just days after undergoing major knee surgery that ended his season, Tyreek Hill surprised his Dolphins teammates by showing up at the facility. He got hurt in the win over the Jets on Monday night, but instead of staying away, he wanted to be with his guys. Coach Mike McDaniel said the meeting already had good energy, but when Hill walked in, it instantly lifted the room. The 31-year-old WR made sure his teammates knew how much he missed them, and it turned into a special moment for everyone, including receiver Malik Washington.

“To see him in that moment and to see him so happy and stuff, considering what happened — despite what happened — it’s great for us,” Washington said. Besides him, safety Minkah Fitzpatrick, too, felt the same sentiment. “So having him in the building and seeing that he wants to be present and be around the team means a whole lot to us.”

Tyreek Hill has been wearing the captain’s band ever since he set foot in Miami. It was taken away from him this year. And he had an idea it was coming after everything that happened last season. His meltdown against the Jets, after which he fired off a cryptic “I’m out” tweet, and changed his profile picture to Antonio Brown’s infamous exit meme. Combine that with the occasional rift with Tua, and this makes it all the more wholesome. So, it’s quite obvious his teammates didn’t vote him in.

But it’s a different story this year. Even if he’s not guaranteed to finish the season on the field, Hill’s making it clear he’s still all-in for Miami. And that’s what makes the injury sting even more. He accounted for 21 grabs for 265 yards and a score through four games (per ESPN), including 6-for-67 yards in that Jets win. But he’s definitely out for the season after that surgery.

Tyreek Hill’s post-surgery update

When Tyreek went down last week, you could just tell that it was bad. Tyreek Hill was running down the Jets’ sideline, got swooped by Jets’ Malachi Moore, and went down awkwardly, screaming. He held his left knee in pain, and a lot of fans were quick to predict an ACL tear.

And the diagnosis was no different. A dislocated knee, a torn ACL, and add in a few ligament tears. The outcome was as bad as it could’ve possibly been. The Dolphins fans went through three straight losses. But even that wasn’t as bad as watching one of their best players go out like this.

Thankfully, according to his agent, surgery went as well as you’d hope. The WR won’t need another one. “The surgery went very well, according to his doctors….It’s about rehab, and he will play next season. The realistic goal is the start of the season,” his agent, Drew Rosenhaus, said. “There is no nerve damage, no blood flow issues, no broken bones, the [knee] cartilage is fine,” he added.

As for Miami, they went all in to fix things. Hill is headed to IR, and the Dolphins did everything to patch the hole he left behind.  They brought in Cedrick Wilson Jr. off the Saints’ practice squad. Wilson’s no Tyreek, of course, but he’s not a stranger to the system thanks to his 2022–23 stint in Miami (for three starts). But still, the Dolphins are sitting on a 1-3 record. And now, without their only bright spot of the season, there’s no margin for error left.