While Tyreek Stews, Chiefs Keep Chugging Along Without Him

The Miami Dolphins face themselves at a bit of a crossroads after three seasons with Tyreek Hill, while the Kansas City Chiefs have a chance at a three-peat

Kansas City Chiefs cornerback L'Jarius Sneed (38) and cornerback Trent McDuffie (22) break up a pass intended for Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill (10) during the second half of the 2024 AFC wild card game at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. | Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

While the Miami Dolphins currently are faced with a dilemma with star wide receiver Tyreek Hill, his former team just keeps winning and proving they didn't need him to have success.

The Chiefs secured their spot in the AFC Championship Game for a remarkable seventh consecutive season when they defeated the Houston Texans on Saturday, making them 3-for-3 since they sent Hill to the Dolphins in that massive trade in March of 2022.

It's difficult to call the trade a bad move or a loss for the Dolphins because Hill was team MVP his first two seasons in Miami and the biggest reason the offense was so explosive in 2022 and 2023, but it hasn't produced the desired results because they're still looking for their first playoff win in almost a quarter-century.

On the flip side, the trade has been an undeniable win for the Chiefs.

Among the factors cited for Kansas City making that move was the need to pay defensive tackle Chris Jones, and if the Chiefs indeed chose Jones over Hill, the results clearly have validated their decision, particularly since Jones is such a major impact player for a defense that's become the strength of the team.

One of the big contributors on defense is cornerback Trent McDuffie, and he essentially was acquired with the first-round pick the Dolphins sent the Chiefs for Hill.

The bigger lesson here just might be that a wide receiver can only make so much difference, no matter how good he is.

The Chiefs were able to win the past two Super Bowls without a superstar at wide receiver because they had an all-timer at quarterback and a great defense (with an all-timer at tight end).

The Dolphins failed to win a playoff game in Hill's first two brilliant seasons in Miami and then missed the playoffs altogether in 2024 when his performance slipped.

While there are other factors involved, it's pretty clear the Chiefs had the better roster construction idea when this trade was consummated.

THE TYREEK SITUATION UPDATE

It's been two weeks now since Hill made his famous comments after the season finale against the New York Jets, and he still hasn't added anything on the subject on social media since asking for respect the day after the game.

His latest tweet concerned how a three-hour trip to Tampa was going to be a breeze, which of course was dissected by some as a suggestion he wants to be traded to the Buccaneers.

That is the way it goes with Hill, a self-proclaimed troll, whose every comment will be scrutinized for a message, hidden or otherwise.

But there has been no direct message from either Hill or his agent, Drew Rosenhaus, and nothing further from the Dolphins since GM Chris Grier said in the end-of-season press conference that Hill never asked to be traded, though he didn't backtrack from his comments about "being out."

So ... stay tuned.