Dolphins WR Tyreek Hill making strong impression with his work ethic — and speed

When Dolphins safety Eric Rowe lines up in the secondary during practice — perhaps, a bit deeper than usual — and sees wide receiver Tyreek Hill lined up, he admits there’s a bit of relief they’re now wearing the same colors.

“It’s just great for us,” Rowe said after Tuesday’s organized team activities practice. “We were playing Kansas City, even if we had a double [team] on him, he still scored on us on the deep ball. Now, that’s not our job to focus on anymore. That’s other teams now. So, it’s always great to have a guy like that.”

Two months after the Dolphins traded for Hill, a six-time Pro Bowler, it’s clear his game-breaking speed will be a boon for the team’s offense and a reoccurring headache for defensive coordinators around the league. What’s also becoming clear is the 28-year-old has a work ethic matched by few and has caught the attention of his teammates.

“Tyreek is no doubt the fastest dude I’ve ever seen play,” wide receiver River Cracraft said last week. “What’s always exciting is that I’ve been on a couple of teams and I’ve been around some very elite players. I pride myself on work ethic. That’s how I’m still here and that’s why I’m still going. To see somebody who is at an elite level who has the same work ethic as I can remember coming in as an undrafted guy, it shows a lot. It shows a lot about who they are and what they’re about. That’s what he brings to the table. He brings hard work and effort on top of elite athleticism. You put those two together, that’s why he’s having success.”

The offseason workout program is a time of experimentation for teams, from offensive line combinations to defensive tweaks. And this period offers coach Mike McDaniel and the rest of the coaching staff the opportunity to brainstorm and devise even more ways to get the ball to Hill, an All-Pro game-changer who was used as a receiver, running back and returner during his first six seasons with the Chiefs.

Hill has been a frequent attendee to the voluntary sessions, building camaraderie with quarterback Tua Tagovaliloa and other offensive teammates. Even with Tagovailoa sidelined from Tuesday’s practice with an illness, that didn’t change much for Hill, who could be spotted darting past defenders and trying to get open for passes in the scorching heat.

“That’s what I do, man,” Hill said. “Like when I came here, I signed up to work. I didn’t sign up just for the paycheck. I also signed up to be a team leader and also lead this team and show this team how I do things. And how I do things is I work hard, and I want the guys behind me to follow that. So I just can’t be a guy in our locker[room] just saying, ‘Hey, you guys should be doing this, doing that.’ I’ve got to be that guy who’s willing to come out on the field and work hard and show these young guys how to get the job done and potentially win a Super Bowl, so that’s what I’m here for.”

Hill’s work to quickly assimilate himself with the team can be no better showcased by his public defense of Tagovailoa on multiple occasions recently. After the team posted a slowed-down video of Tagovailoa underthrowing Hill, which to date has nearly 7 million views and became the center of nitpicking from social media to talk shows, Hill responded with his own video, a much more flattering cutup of Tagovailoa hitting him in stride.

“Can y’all chill or nah? We talking about practice,” Hill wrote in a caption, a reference to NBA star Allen Iverson’s famous quote.

At an event for the Fan Controlled Football League, Hill was asked about Tagovailoa and said: “The guy can actually throw the ball better than a lot of people actually think.”

Hill doubled down on his support for the polarizing third-year quarterback after practice, saying, “Tua actually has probably one of the prettiest balls I’ve ever caught in my life. ... Tua is a very accurate quarterback.”

“I just feel like football is all about confidence, and I’m very confident in my quarterback,” he added. “So I just feel like if I’m able to help him get all the confidence in the world and push other guys to push that confidence into him, then the sky’s the limit for the guy because he’s a heck of a talent, has crazy arm strength, arm talent. So like I said, we’re all excited just to watch him sling the ball each and every day.”

The Dolphins are hoping that it’s not just Hill’s physical abilities that will make an impact once the regular season arrives but that his work ethic, leadership and experience in high-stakes moments will rub off on an otherwise young roster.

Hill jokingly lamented that his hard work in practice hasn’t yet led to one particular honor: practice player of the day, which comes with DJ privileges during the next session.

“I haven’t been an orange jersey guy,” he said. “I guess I haven’t been working hard enough for Coach, but hopefully I can get it.”