Tyreek Hill's injury update changes everything for two star receivers

Tyreek Hill posted a positive update this week. At least it looked positive at first.

The 32-year-old wide receiver shared footage from his first sprinting session since dislocating his knee and tearing his ACL last season. Considering the severity of the injury and the two surgeries that followed, watching Hill run again was encouraging. Then he described how the workout felt.

“There’s no power in my left leg,” Hill said.

That is not exactly the sentence an NFL team wants to hear about a player whose career has been built around speed. It also creates an opportunity for two other recognizable receivers whose futures remain unsettled: Stefon Diggs and Brandon Aiyuk.

Tyreek Hill can run, but can he still be Tyreek Hill?

Hill deserves credit for reaching this point. Early reports suggested there were questions about whether he would walk normally again, much less return to professional football.

Running in a controlled workout is only one step, though. Hill still must prove he can explode off the line, stop, cut and absorb contact. That could take months. Nobody knows because Hill has not provided a timetable for his return.

His uncertainty makes him difficult to sign during training camp. If the power does not return, neither does the player teams remember. That is where Diggs enters the conversation.

Stefon Diggs can offer something Tyreek Hill currently cannot

Diggs is also 32, and his best seasons are likely behind him. Last season in New England, he caught 85 passes and finished with more than 1,000 yards. Yet, he remains unsigned.

His age, potential asking price and off-field concerns have apparently left teams hesitant. None of those concerns disappeared because Hill posted a workout video. The difference is that Diggs can offer a club something Hill cannot right now: a realistic chance to play immediately.

Diggs no longer needs to be treated like an elite No. 1 receiver. Put him next to an established option, allow him to work underneath and let his route running do the heavy lifting. There are worse ideas. Quite a few teams are currently trying them.

Hill may have the more exciting name, but excitement is not especially useful when it comes without a return date. Diggs suddenly looks like the safer short-term answer.

Brandon Aiyuk remains stuck, but perhaps not forever

Aiyuk’s situation requires several disclaimers because apparently nothing involving him and the San Francisco 49ers can be easy, especially with his recent antics on social media.

He is not a free agent. Aiyuk remains under contract with San Francisco and is on the reserve/left squad list. He would need to seek reinstatement before the 49ers could realistically release or trade him.

He also has not played since tearing his ACL, MCL and meniscus in 2024. That gives teams another medical file to study, although Aiyuk has one advantage over Hill and Diggs: he is only 28.

Before his injury, Aiyuk produced consecutive 1,000-yard seasons. If he can get healthy and finally escape his standoff with San Francisco, he offers more long-term upside than the other veteran receivers still searching for work.

Tyreek Hill’s uncertainty creates an opening for Stefon Diggs and Brandon Aiyuk

Hill was the fascinating gamble. Now, he may be the gamble teams cannot afford to make yet. That leaves Diggs as the player most capable of helping immediately and Aiyuk as the younger reclamation project worth revisiting. Neither receiver’s situation is perfect.

Compared with a speed specialist who admits he still has no power in one leg, perfection may no longer be required.