Miami Dolphins

Miami Dolphins wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. vehemently pushed back on the idea he's using his ongoing injury issues as an excuse to avoid working out with the team.

A fan on X questioned if Beckham is "pulling off another Will Fuller," a reference to how Fuller only made three appearances with Miami after signing a one-year contract worth more than $10 million in 2021. That prompted a series of posts from the three-time Pro Bowler:

Beckham missed the entire 2022 season due to the torn ACL he suffered a year earlier with the Los Angeles Rams, which was his second major ACL injury. Early into 2023 with the Baltimore Ravens, he hurt his ankle and missed two games.

The wear and tear is starting to add up for the 31-year-old, so his present situation—the source of which is unclear—is somewhat predictable within that context.

The idea that OBJ is merely cashing a check is also laughable when you look at the financial side. His NFL career earnings approach $99 million and he's only due to collect $3 million guaranteed for 2024.

Beckham doesn't need to play for a paycheck at this point, and if he were purely looking to finesse an NFL team, surely he would've held out for more money.

All of that aside, Miami is approaching an important deadline with the veteran pass-catcher.

NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reported in July that Beckham was "working through minor things," hence his placement on the active/physically unable to perform (PUP) list. The fact he's unable to be a full participant in training camp, though he's working out to some degree, is a little concerning.

Miami will have to add Beckham to the active roster at some point between now and Week 1. Otherwise, keeping him on the PUP list will require him to miss a minimum of four games.

Miami Dolphins wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. began training camp on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list, as Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reported.

Beckham still remains on the PUP list three weeks later, naturally raising concern about his status. But Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel is keeping calm amid Beckham being sidelined, telling reporters the following on Wednesday (h/t Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk).

"I wouldn't have a level of concern. I think as the process goes, you have to put one foot in front of the other and what you don't want, and what I know Odell doesn't want, is getting on the grass and then leaving it. So just preparing people to be the version of themselves where they can play confident and convicted. All that is done where there is adversity — I don't think Odell sees it like that or I don't think the position room sees it like that because there's been some opportunities to play football. We have some young guys that have a lot of talent, that need to battle some stuff out to be able to win an NFL job.

"That's the biggest thing for the Dolphins team and really that position group. Odell has — his teammates know that he's working hard because he shows them every day as he gets back on the field where he knows — he didn't sign up for football to be in meetings. Even though my meetings are super entertaining, I don't think that was the case. So he's working his way back to be on the field which is what everyone wants."

Beckham, 31, caught 35 passes for 565 yards and three touchdowns for the Baltimore Ravens last season. He added four catches for 34 yards in two playoff games.

OBJ didn't end last season injured, and there haven't been any reports of offseason ailments, so it's unclear what is ailing the 10-year veteran right now.

Beckham has dealt with serious injuries in the past, including a fractured left ankle in Oct. 2017, a torn ACL in his left knee on Oct. 2020 and a torn ACL in his left knee again during the Super Bowl in Feb. 2022. The former two ailments ended his seasons, and the latter ultimately kept him out for all of 2022.

Beckham was a superstar in the 2010s with the New York Giants and Cleveland Browns, amassing five 1,000-yard seasons and earning three Pro Bowl honors. He posted a 17-game average of 105 catches for 1,476 yards and 11 touchdowns from 2014-2019, per Pro Football Reference.

Unfortunately, injuries have significantly curtailed Beckham's career, though he's still shown flashes of his past brilliance, notably during his half-season with the 2021 Los Angeles Rams en route to helping them win the Super Bowl.

His offseason signing with the Miami Dolphins was certainly an exciting addition with the team already having a dynamic wideout duo of Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle. And it's still possible that Beckham could slide in as that WR3 to complement those superstars.

But right now, it's a waiting game as Beckham stays sidelined for undisclosed reasons. McDaniel isn't outwardly concerned, though, bringing hope that whatever ails OBJ isn't a long-term issue.

Regardless, the date to watch remains Sept. 8, when the Dolphins open the regular season at home versus the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Tyreek Hill has jokes.

The Miami Dolphins wideout roasted his teammate, Jaylen Waddle, while responding to a list of the biggest divas in the NFL on social media:

Waddle responded with a 50 Cent meme:

If Waddle needs a secondary rebuttal, he could perhaps point out that Hill would probably make the top five list of players in the NFL publicly misunderstand the proper use of contractions:

Jokes aside, the duo of Hill and Waddle is one of the best receiving tandems—and certainly the fastest—in the NFL. Last season, the pair each went over 1,000 yards receiving, combining for 191 receptions and 17 touchdowns.

They are a huge reason why the Dolphins reached the postseason and remain one of the most dangerous offenses in football.

The United States' Noah Lyles won the gold medal in the 100 meters at the Paris Olympics last week with a time of 9.79 seconds, just 0.21 seconds off the world record set by Usain Bolt.

But for some reason, Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill believes he could beat him in a race, as he told Kay Adams on the Up & Adams show:

"I will beat Noah Lyles," he said. "I wouldn't beat him by a lot, but I would beat Noah Lyles.

Hill also took umbrage with Lyles' previous comments that the winners of United States' sports leagues such as the NFL or NBA shouldn't describe themselves as world champions, saying that the sprinter should stick to track and field before wildly claiming that he faked a COVID-19 diagnosis after he finished third in the 200 meters.

Granted, it's not the first time Hill has said he could best an Olympic sprinter in a race.

In 2022, Kevin Hart asked him if he thought he was faster than Bolt—the fastest man in recorded history—and the wideout didn't hesitate, answering, "Of course I am."

Hill did race at the 2023 USA Track and Field Masters Indoor Championships in the 60 meters, finishing with a time of 6.70 seconds, which ranked him outside of the top 200.

Granted, it was his first track and field race since 2014, as he's trained in football since.

In high school, Hill ran the 200m sprint in 20.14 seconds, sixth in the United States at the time, and a result that would have been fast enough to make the 2012 Olympic team. His personal best in the 100m was 10.19 seconds.

It's unlikely Hill is faster at 30 than he was at 18. When Bolt, for instance, set his world records in both the 100m and 200m races in 2009, he was 22 years old.

Lyles, who is currently 27, set his personal best in the 100m at this summer's Olympics and his personal best in the 200m (19.31 seconds, which is the U.S. record and the third-fastest time in recorded history) in 2022.

It's also unlikely that Hill is a faster sprinter after not training in the sport for well over a decade. That means he probably wouldn't be besting his personal records in either the 100m or 200m races, neither of which would be fast enough to top Lyles.

That didn't stop Hill from suggesting he would try to qualify for the 2028 Olympics, though:

It's unclear whether Hill is serious about all of this or simply trolling. But if it's the former, there's basically no way he would actually beat Lyles in a race.

The Miami Dolphins will enjoy a freshly renovated locker room at their home, Hard Rock Stadium, beginning this season.

The Dolphins revealed the new Friday in advance of the team's home preseason opener against the Atlanta Falcons.

It wasn't as if the Dolphins needed a locker room upgrade, as ESPN's Marcel Louis-Jacques noted. But the improvements, led by team owner Stephen Ross, were made regardless.

The Dolphins are looking to improve upon an 11-win season that resulted in the team's second straight playoff appearance. Miami finished last year with the NFL's No. 2 scoring offense and return the key players from that unit, including quarterback Tua Tagovailoa and wideout Tyreek Hill, both of whom signed new contracts.

Miami begins the regular season on Sept. 8 with a home matchup against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

The Miami Dolphins revealed home-and-away throwback jerseys that they will wear on a pair of Thursday games this season.

On Sept. 12, the Dolphins will wear their throwback home aqua uniforms against the Buffalo Bills.

On Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 28, Miami will visit the Green Bay Packers for a night game while wearing its white away uniforms.

Both are huge matchups for a Dolphins team trying to make the playoffs for the third straight season. Last year's team went 11-6, good enough for Miami's best win total since 2008 (11-5, AFC East champions).

Miami excelled off the strength of the NFL's No. 2 scoring offense and a phenomenal season from wideout Tyreek Hill (119 catches, 1,799 yards, 13 touchdowns) and running backs Raheem Mostert (1,187 yards, 21 touchdowns) and De'Von Achane (997 yards, 11 touchdowns in 11 games).

The Dolphins earned the AFC's No. 6 seed but fell to the eventual Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs in the Wild Card round.

They'll look to improve upon that performance in 2024, though. The spotlight will be brighter on Miami after a fantastic offensive season, and the Dolphins should be in the playoff mix once again. We obviously don't know how they'll do, but we do know they'll be wearing some great, classic uniforms in two of the season's most important matchups.

Wide receiver Tyreek Hill has agreed with the Miami Dolphins on a three-year, $90 million contract with $65 million guaranteed, according to multiple reports.

Hill was already signed for the next three seasons, but the new contract offers him the most guaranteed money for any NFL receiver.

That's good news for Dolphins fans who wanted the star wideout locked in long-term, but potentially bad news for the Dallas Cowboys' negotiations with CeeDee Lamb and the San Francisco 49ers' talks with Brandon Aiyuk.

With Lamb missing training camp and Aiyuk sitting out practices in bids for new deals, Hill's new deal could further complicate negotiations already challenged by the market-setting contract Justin Jefferson signed with the Minnesota Vikings earlier this offseason.

Jefferson inked a four-year, $140 million deal in June to become the highest-paid player for any position besides quarterback in NFL history.

That deal included $110 million in practical guarantees, with $88.7 million fully guaranteed.

Hill's new contract beats that total by bringing his own fully guaranteed money to $106.5 million over the span of the contract.

That could mean Lamb will be seeking more guaranteed money with his own contract. In 2024 he finished just behind Hill for the league lead in receiving yards and receiving touchdowns.

Aiyuk, meanwhile, has been expected to earn a deal somewhat below the tier of league leaders like Lamb, Hill and Jefferson. The 49ers receiver has reportedly asked for a deal closer to the range of Amon-Ra St. Brown's four-year, $120 million extension with the Detroit Lions.

St. Brown's contract included $77 million in practical guarantees, with $34.66 million fully guaranteed. But Hill's new contract could mean Aiyuk will be now looking for more money guaranteed.

The Cowboys and 49ers have both seen the receiver market change multiple times this offseason amid negotiations with Lamb and Aiyuk. That wait could prove costly for both teams as the franchises look to bring their star wideouts into the fold before the start of the regular season.

EA Sports released the speed ratings for the 10 fastest players in the upcoming Madden 25 video game, and there weren't any surprises when it came to No. 1.

Spoiler alert: It was Tyreek Hill. Just like you knew it would be. He came in at a 99 speed, the only player in the game given a max rating:

It's slightly surprising that Kansas City Chiefs wideout Xavier Worthy—who set the NFL Scouting Combine record in the 40-yard dash with a time of 4.21 seconds—didn't join him in the 99-speed club, though perhaps the rookie wideout needs to prove that top-end speed translates in the game.

Starting your NFL career tied for second in Madden's speed rankings is hardly shabby, of course.

As for Hill's Miami Dolphins, the team has three players in the top eight, with fellow wideout Jaylen Waddle (97 speed) and running back De'Von Achane (96 speed) joining him. Speed kills in real football, and it certainly does in Madden as well, so expect the Dolphins to be a popular choice in this year's iteration of the game.