Miami Dolphins News & Rumors

Steelers, Chiefs ‘Eyeing’ Tyreek Hill?

SEPTEMBER 13: Dianna Russini of The Athletic confirms (subscription required) the Dolphins are not actively looking to trade Hill, adding calls have yet to be made on the subject. In the event Miami continues to struggle, however, interest could pick up before the trade deadline.

SEPTEMBER 11: Trade rumors followed Tyreek Hill throughout the offseason, and the Dolphins’ 33-8 drubbing at the hands of the Colts has only intensified speculation that the veteran wide receiver could be on his way out of Miami.

The Steelers and the Chiefs are both “eyeing” Hill after Week 1, according to Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio (via the Rich Eisen Show).

Kansas City has a clear need at wide receiver following Xavier Worthy‘s injury and Rashee Rice‘s suspension. Hill would especially help a Chiefs downfield passing game that has stagnated since he left the team in 2022.

The Steelers, meanwhile, could continue their apparent all-in push for the 2025 season by pairing Hill with D.K. Metcalf to give Aaron Rodgers one of the top receiver duos in the NFL. Pittsburgh did have Calvin Austin emerge as a potential WR2 in Week 1 with a 4-70-1 statline, but Hill’s All-Pro pedigree and track record of high-end production would still be an upgrade.

Hill is due $36MM in nonguaranteed compensation in 2026 with a $51.9MM cap hit, per OverTheCap, making it unlikely that he stays in Miami past this year. His contract could be a major obstacle to an offseason trade, so the Dolphins might try to move on early to get a better return. Hill is due $11.8MM this season, which is now down to $11.1MM after Week 1 and will drop by an additional $694K per week.

However, the potential for a suspension resulting from recent domestic violence allegations will likely delay any trade inquiries until after the league completes a potential investigation. Until there is some clarity on the situation, other teams won’t want to move draft capital for a rental with an uncertain outlook for the rest of the season. Florio said the accusations against Hill are “a massive complication that wasn’t there when the chatter began.”

Indeed, the Dolphins have received “zero” calls regarding Hill, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, nor is the team currently looking to move him.

Were that to change, trade compensation would still need to be negotiated. Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer believes the Dolphins would want “something in the range of a third-round pick and maybe a Day 2 pick on top of that,” while Florio referenced the 2025 deal that sent Davante Adams from the Raiders to the Jets in exchange for a third-round pick. The Steelers also gave up a second-round pick for Metcalf earlier this year, offering another framework for a potential Hill trade.

Minor NFL Transactions: 9/13/25

Here’s are today’s minor transactions and standard gameday practice squad elevations:

Arizona Cardinals

Baltimore Ravens

Buffalo Bills

Chicago Bears 

Dallas Cowboys

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Tennessee Titans

With one quarterback on the reserve/non-football injury list and starter Brock Purdy inactive, Martinez comes up with the potential to appear in his first ever NFL game, though Niners fans hope his presence will not be necessary.

Bell will be active for tomorrow’s game as the Seahawks work to replace second-round rookie Nick Emmanwori in the secondary. Emmanwori has been ruled out with an ankle injury. Similarly, Wallow will be part of the Broncos’ efforts to fill in for injured linebacker Dre Greenlaw, who has been ruled out for the second week in a row.

Dolphins Place RT Austin Jackson On IR

The Dolphins will be notably shorthanded up front through the early portion of the campaign. Miami placed right tackle Austin Jackson on injured reserve Saturday.

The move ensures at least a four-week absence, beginning with tomorrow’s matchup against New England. Miami is already without right guard James Daniels due to a pectoral injury. Jackson now joins him on injured reserve.

A toe injury will see the USC product sidelined for an extended period. Jackson’s sixth NFL season – all with the Dolphins – has not gotten off to a desired start given his current ailment. After playing just two games in 2022 and eight last season, today’s news marks the continuation of an unwanted trend regarding his availability. With Daniels out of the picture as well, the play on the right side of Miami’s offensive line will be worth monitoring.

The Dolphins struggled mightily in all phases last week, and a bounce-back on offense in particular would be key for all involved. Pass protection could be a concern with Daniels and now Jackson unavailable, however. The latter encountered a setback early last month after returning to full health. Jackson managed to suit up for the season opener, but Miami’s tackle setup will be altered as Patrick Paul continues his first campaign as a starter at the LT spot. Free agent addition Larry Borom could fill in at the opposite position.

Jackson’s pact (which was restructured in March) runs through the 2026 campaign. He is due a $9.88MM base salary for next year, but the former first-rounder’s only scheduled guaranteed compensation is a $1MM roster bonus. Further financial moves in this case could thus be coming depending on how the 2025 season plays out. Jackson will look to deliver a run of healthy play against that backdrop once he is back in place.

Dolphins WR Tyreek Hill Accused Of Domestic Violence

Tyreek Hill‘s ex-wife is alleging the Dolphins wide receiver committed several acts of domestic violence against her, according to TMZ. Hill’s attorney has denied the claims, calling them part of a “shakedown.”

While Hill has established himself as one of this century’s best wide receivers and will almost definitely be headed to the Hall of Fame, domestic violence represents an ugly cloud over his career. An arrest while at Oklahoma State in 2014 is the most serious of the incidents, Hill was also part of a 2019 scandal that alleged domestic violence.

He has managed to avoid an NFL suspension, thanks in part to a rule at the time in which off-field incidents prior to a player’s time in the league could not impact the league to impose a ban, but another round of trouble is afoot for the fourth-year Dolphins receiver. Hill, 31, also avoided a suspension for an assault on a Miami-area marina worker in 2023.

Hill’s ex-wife, Keeta Vaccaro, has accused him of multiple acts of violence beginning in January 2024. Hill and Vaccaro were married in November 2023; they separated 17 months later.

In a new court filing as part of the divorce, Vaccaro accused Hill of shoving her to the floor in January 2024 at their guest house in Southwest Ranches, Fla. In a separate incident, Vaccaro accuses Hill of “violently attacked her, throwing her to the floor, twisting her intimate body parts, ripping her hair out and grabbing anything on her person he could get a hold of” in an Orlando hotel two weeks later, according to TMZ.

Vaccaro also alleges Hill shoved a marijuana cigarette in her face when the couple was preparing to leave for the 2024 Pro Bowl. In total, Vaccaro accuses Hill of eight separate acts of domestic violence. This includes incidents while she was pregnant.

Hill’s 2014 arrest involved a different woman, the mother of his oldest children, and involved accusations of punching and choking her while she was pregnant. (That arrest led to Hill being thrown off the Oklahoma State football and track teams; it later led some teams to remove the WR from their draft boards.) That woman, Crystal Espinal, accused Hill in 2019 of violence against one of their children. Hill was also heard in a recording threatening Espinal, his then-fiancé. That recording preceded Hill being barred from the Chiefs’ facility during the 2019 offseason. Due in part to a lack of cooperation from a Kansas district attorney’s office, Hill was not suspended by the NFL in connection with the 2019 incident. He signed a Chiefs extension (three years, $54MM) soon after the team welcomed him back, though that extension had protections for the team in the event more off-field trouble ensued.

With Hill staying out of trouble from then until March 2022, the Dolphins traded a five-pick package to the Chiefs and rewarded the standout receiver with a then-position-record four-year, $120MM extension. A year after not being charged for his marina assault, Hill secured a new $50MM guarantee package from the Dolphins. Months after that guarantee package, Hill checked himself out of Miami’s Week 18 game in New York and made an impromptu trade request — one he later walked back. That said, trade rumors have still followed the former fifth-round pick this year.

As with past Hill accusations, the case will need to play out. No charges have been filed against him in connection with Vaccaro’s allegations, though arrests or convictions are not required for suspensions under the NFL’s personal conduct policy. A league investigation could emerge as a result of Vaccaro’s claims. Two seasons remain on Hill’s Dolphins contract.

Dolphins HC Mike McDaniel, GM Chris Grier May Not Survive Season

Miami’s leadership appeared to be on the hot seat entering the 2025 campaign, and those seats are only getting warmer. Sources told Tony Pauline of Sportskeeda that head coach Mike McDaniel and general manager Chris Grier may not survive the current season if the organization fails to turn things around.

McDaniel’s spot on the hot seat isn’t anything new. For starters, Dolphins owner Stephen Ross released a statement following the 2024 campaign that the head coach (along with the GM) would be sticking around for the 2025 season. While that statement served as a vote of confidence, it was also a clear acknowledgement that a firing was at least under consideration.

We also heard rumblings in August that McDaniel was a candidate to be the first canned coach of the 2025 campaign. An anonymous GM described the situation as a “ticking time bomb,” citing the coach’s willingness to let the likes of Jalen Ramsey and Tyreek Hill “walk all over” him.

The head coach is still attached to an extension that runs through the 2028 season. McDaniel earned that contract after guiding the Dolphins to the postseason in each of his first two seasons at the helm, including a 2023 campaign where the offense finished first in yards and second in points. Tua Tagovailoa‘s concussion issues contributed to the team’s demise in 2024, but the locker room turmoil was enough to put the offensive mastermind on the hot seat. An embarrassing loss to the Colts in Week 1 has naturally led to more whispers about the head coach’s potential ouster.

While Grier was included in Ross’s statement following the 2024 season, the GM hasn’t felt the heat as much as his head coach. This is Grier’s 10th season in his role as GM, although he didn’t get full control of the roster until 2019. The executive saw the Dolphins make the playoffs during his first season at the helm, but the team failed to return to the postseason over the next five years. After shuffling through the likes of Adam Gase and Brian Flores, the McDaniel hiring seemed to revitalize the organization. In addition to his initial HC hit, Grier got credit for some big-swing acquisitions, including Ramsey and Hill.

It didn’t take long for the executive to lose some of that goodwill. After signing Ramsey to a lucrative extension ahead of the 2024 campaign, the cornerback was traded less than a year later, and there’s still a chance Hill follows suit. The issues in the locker room can’t necessarily be attributed to the front office leader, but some other ill-advised moves (including a Tagovailoa extension that commits more than $50MM annually to the QB) have also led to Miami’s current situation. With the Dolphins failing to win a playoff game since the 2000 campaign, there’s a chance that ownership may also look to shake up their front office sooner than later.

Dolphins To Sign G Cole Strange Off Browns’ Practice Squad

Amid a rash of injuries along their offensive line, the Dolphins are signing offensive guard Cole Strange off of the the Browns’ practice squad, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.

Miami was already without Liam Eichenberg entering the regular season. The versatile lineman was expected to be the team’s primary backup at guard but landed on the physically unable to perform list in training camp. Eichenberg was not activated during final roster cuts and will be out for at least three more games.

The Dolphins then lost starting right guard James Daniels (pectoral) and starting right tackle Austin Jackson (toe) in Week 1. Needing depth at guard, they poached Strange from the Browns’ practice squad. He lined up at all three interior spots in the preseason and could be called upon to replace Daniels right away.

Strange, 27, was a surprise first-round pick in 2022. He started 17 games at left guard for the Patriots as a rookie but seemed to lose his job entering the 2023 season. He only started two of the team’s first six games with healthy scratches for the other four, but returned to start the next eight contests before a torn patellar tendon ended his season. Strange started the 2024 season on the PUP list and didn’t return to the field until late December. He started the last two games of the year at center.

The Patriots’ offseason coaching change and offensive line additions casted doubt on Strange’s future. Rookie Jared Wilson took over at left guard with veteran Garrett Bradbury starting at center, squeezing Strange out of the starting lineup. He couldn’t carve out a backup role and was waived during final roster cuts. The Browns then signed him to their practice squad.

The Dolphins inserted Kion Smith into Sunday’s game to replace Daniels, but Strange offers much more experience with 29 career starts under his belt. Backup center Daniel Brunskill could be another option at right guard; he has 3,300 career snaps at the position, per Pro Football Focus (subscription required).

Daniels is now on IR, according to NFL.com’s Cameron Wolfe. This marks the second straight season Daniels has landed on IR. An Achilles tear sustained in Week 4 of last season ended Daniels’ Steelers run. He had stayed mostly healthy during his first two seasons in Pittsburgh. While this is not believed to be a season-ending injury, Daniels being out of the mix continues a run of bad injury luck for Dolphins O-linemen. Daniels also has a guarantee vesting date to monitor in 2026. He will see $3.48MM of his 2026 base salary shift to a full guarantee on Day 3 of the 2026 league year. Returning to full strength will be key for Daniels to secure that guarantee.

Dolphins OL James Daniels, CB Storm Duck To Miss Several Weeks

As the Dolphins look to right the ship following an embarrassing season-opening loss, they’ll have to do so without a handful of key starters. According to multiple reports, it sounds like the Dolphins will be dealing with absences on both sides of the ball for at least the next few weeks.

On offense, starting guard James Daniels exited yesterday’s loss after only three offensive snaps thanks to a pec injury. According to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald, the injury isn’t expected to end the veteran’s season, and ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler notes that the lineman didn’t suffer any muscle tears. Still, Daniels will likely be out of the lineup for at least the next three to four weeks.

Daniels was making his Miami debut after inking a three-year, $24MM deal with the franchise this past offseason. A former starter with the Bears and Steelers, the lineman was limited to four games in 2024 thanks to a torn Achilles.

The offseason acquisition wasn’t the only offensive lineman to suffer an injury. According to Jackson, the Dolphins are getting opinions on Austin Jackson‘s toe injury. The right tackle got into 79 percent of his team’s offensive snaps yesterday. A former first-round pick, injuries have been a theme of Jackson’s career, as he was limited to two games in 2022 thanks to an ankle injury and eight games in 2024 thanks to a knee injury.

The injuries also apply to the defense, as Jackson notes that cornerback Storm Duck will miss several weeks after suffering an ankle injury during the second quarter of yesterday’s loss. The former UDFA was a pleasant surprise in Miami last season, where he compiled 35 tackles while starting three of his 14 appearances. He got into 29 defensive snaps yesterday before exiting the contest.

Fortunately, there is some optimism surrounding another Dolphins injury. Jackson says that tight end Darren Waller will try to suit up for this Sunday’s matchup against the Patriots. If he can’t go, then a Week 3 return against the Bills will be a realistic target. The veteran’s return from retirement has been delayed by a lingering hip injury.

2025 Offseason In Review Series

Minor NFL Transactions: 9/6/25

With our first slate of Sunday games tomorrow, we’ll see our first slew of standard gameday practice squad elevations. Here are today’s minor transactions:

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Buffalo Bills

Carolina Panthers

Cincinnati Bengals

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Rams

Miami Dolphins

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

New York Jets

Pittsburgh Steelers

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Washington Commanders

Each NFL team is granted up to two standard gameday practice squad elevations each game, allowing them to call up two members of their practice squad who are able to play in that weekend’s game. After the game is played, the elevated players revert back to the practice squad with no transaction required. This differs from the situation with somebody like Crumedy in Carolina. With Mathis’ placement on injured reserve opening a spot on the 53-man roster, Crumedy has been promoted from the practice squad to the active roster, where he will remain until he is cut or his contract expires.

Practice squad players can be called up a maximum of three times under a single practice squad contract. If a team wants to call up a player who’s been called up three times already, the team will usually sign the player to their active roster for a game, cut them after, and then sign them to a new practice squad contract. Under the new contract, the player would be eligible to be elevated for three more games.

As the Dolphins await Jason Sanders‘ return from IR, Patterson was named the winner of a kicking audition with three other veteran kickers. Miami will be able to elevate him three times but will have to promote him to the active roster for any games between that and Sanders’ activation. Similarly, Prater will likely be on the same plan in Buffalo.

Haener’s stint on the Saints’ active roster was short-lived as the team decides to move forward with only two quarterbacks. Spencer Rattler will handle starting duties to begin the campaign with second-round rookie Tyler Shough serving as his backup.

Dolphins TE Darren Waller Unlikely To Play In Week 1

Darren Waller‘s Dolphins debut (and NFL return) is set to be delayed by at least one week. The unretired tight end encountered a setback this week, head coach Mike McDaniel said (via ESPN’s Marcel Louis-Jacques).

[RELATED: Reviewing Dolphins’ Offseason]

As a result, Waller is likely to miss Miami’s season opener against the Colts. A hip strain is the issue in this case, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald notes. Missed time was an issue during the latter stages of Waller’s Raiders tenure as well as his single Giants campaign; things have not gotten off to a good start with the Dolphins.

Waller was moved to the active/PUP list early this summer, but as expected he was activated late in August. That move allowed the former Pro Bowler to return to practice in preparation for his first game action since Week 18 in 2023. At least a short-term issue has now arisen, though, and it will be worth monitoring how long it will keep him sidelined.

The Dolphins included Jonnu Smith in the Jalen RamseyMinkah Fitzpatrick trade, dealing him away after a career-best showing in 2024. Questions were raised in the wake of that swap about how Miami would replace Smith at the tight end spot. The team caught many off guard by agreeing to acquire Waller in a trade with the Giants after he made it clear he would only return to the NFL if he could reunite with Dolphins offensive coordinator Frank Smith in the process.

Presuming Waller is sidelined on Sunday, the Dolphins will need to rely on Julian Hill and Jalin Conyers at the tight end spot. Hill entered the league as an undrafted free agent in 2023 and Conyers did the same this spring. Experience will be in short supply as a result for however long Waller is unavailable.