Defenses struggled to contain Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle in 2022

Tyreek Hill hit the ground running with the Miami Dolphins — teammate Jaylen Waddle was the only player that could keep up with the seven-time Pro Bowl receiver. Waddle and Hill combined for 3,066 receiving yards and often won before the ball was thrown.

Jake Tribbey, a staff writer at fantasypoints.com, added context to just how often Waddle and Hill ran free in the secondary. According to Fantasy Points Data, Hill led the league with 974 receiving yards on targets deemed open. On top of that, Waddle ranked third with 802 receiving yards when eluding defenders.

Hill closed the season second in the NFL with 1,710 receiving yards — more than half of which came on open targets. Waddle ranked first with an average of 18.1 yards per reception, closing the year with eight touchdowns and 1,356 receiving yards. The former first-team All-SEC receiver couldn’t be contained because roughly 60 percent of his yards came on open targets.

The Dolphins saw plenty of zone defense in 2022 and took advantage of open room in the secondary. Coach Mike McDaniel must stay one step ahead in 2023 — teams spent an entire offseason developing a game plan to contain one of the NFL’s most disruptive receiving duos.