Dolphins' Jaylen Waddle addresses narrative related to Tua Tagovailoa, Tyreek Hill relationship

Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa raised some eyebrows when he suggested last week that wide receiver Tyreek Hill needs to rebuild some relationships with teammates following all that occurred early into 2025. 

Additionally, NFL writers such as Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk have noted that No. 2 receiver Jaylen Waddle "has been getting plenty of passes thrown his way early in training camp." Thus, some understandably have wondered if Waddle will be Tagovailoa's favorite target once the games begin to matter in September. 

"I wouldn’t say that," Waddle said about such perceptions while speaking with reporters over the weekend. "...I think Tua’s just playing what he sees. Trying my best to get open throughout the routes. He’s seeing me, try to hit me. Like I said, we got a lot of weapons. Not just focused on me."

Hill controversially subbed himself out of Miami's regular-season finale this past January and then hinted he could want to be traded when he told reporters he was "out." He publicly apologized to Tagovailoa and other teammates during a Super Bowl week interview, and he more recently acknowledged that he wants to be "better as a leader."

However, Tagovailoa indicated early into training camp that his relationship with Hill is "still a work in progress." That could be bad news for head coach Mike McDaniel, who is reportedly on the hot seat this summer.

ESPN stats show that Hill finished last season with team highs of 123 targets and 959 receiving yards. He was second with 81 receptions and tied for second with six touchdown grabs. To compare, Waddle tallied 58 receptions for 744 yards and two scores over 15 games. 

"We’ve got a lot of playmakers," Waddle added during his comments. "So the amount of playmakers that we have, it makes it much easier to play on Sundays. Having the defense have to defend not just me and [Hill], but have weapons in the backfield and the tight end." 

As of Monday morning, DraftKings Sportsbook had the Dolphins at -275 betting odds to miss the playoffs this season. Such a forecast shows Miami will likely need Tagovailoa and Hill to put any lingering differences aside well before the Dolphins open the campaign with a matchup at the Indianapolis Colts on Sept. 7.