Julian Hill rises to the occasion as a key player in the Dolphins’ ground attack
Julian Hill, an undrafted free agent tight end, has defied the odds in his journey with the Miami Dolphins. Early on, he found a champion in Jon Embree, the team’s assistant head coach and tight ends coach. Embree, who joined the Dolphins in 2022 alongside head coach Mike McDaniel, has unwavering faith in Hill’s potential, despite the challenges the young player faced in his early NFL career.
“He takes a lot of pride in his work,” Embree explained. “It’s very important to him. I know it wasn’t very popular to be sold on him as I have been, but it’s a process to being a tight end in the NFL. Ninety-five percent of these kids coming out of college don’t play NFL football at the tight end position.”
Building a Versatile Skill Set
Now in his third season, Hill’s statistics may not leap off the page—he has caught 29 of 43 passes for 239 yards across 40 career games, including 11 catches for 91 yards this year. However, his contributions extend well beyond receiving. This season, out of 292 total snaps, Hill has lined up as a run blocker for 144 plays. He has run routes on 105 passing attempts and provided crucial support on 43 other pass plays, according to Pro Football Focus.
“He’s very smart. He sees what defenses are trying to do,” Embree noted, highlighting Hill’s adaptability. “He’s able to make adjustments on the fly, like on De’Von Achane’s touchdown run against the New Orleans Saints. Technically, that wasn’t his guy, but he picked him up and then got another guy. He’s really starting to understand what we’re trying to accomplish with our runs.”
A Journey of Growth
Hill’s path to becoming a dependable tight end has not been without its hurdles. In his rookie season, he was thrust into challenging situations, which included seven penalties in 2024. Yet through it all, Embree remained steadfast in his belief that Hill could navigate the learning curve.
“I have an expression I tell the guys: I will never let you drown,” Embree said. “Now, you may be going underwater and coming up, but I’ll never let you go under and stay under. It’s a slow process when I’m teaching guys what they need to do. With Hill, there were certain things I needed to get him to do before he could take the next step.”
Finding His Place in the Offense
As Hill continues to settle into his role, he has demonstrated versatility. In 2023, of his 360 snaps, he played 199 inline, 120 in the slot, 23 out wide, and even took 17 snaps out of the backfield. This adaptability has allowed the Dolphins to explore multiple avenues in their offensive strategy.
“[Tight ends are] not asked to do a lot of things that we’re asking them to do,” Embree remarked. “It’s a process. I knew working with him and seeing his potential, it was just a matter of time and how fast he could progress. It might not have been as fast as he or others wanted, but he’s getting there.”
Looking Ahead
Now nine games into his third NFL season, Hill has firmly established himself within an evolving Dolphins offense that has exceeded 160 rushing yards in each of the past two weeks since his return from an ankle injury. Although he did drop a pass in a recent game against the Saints, his overall trajectory remains promising.
“I believe he’s still scratching the surface because there are things he can do in the pass game,” Embree acknowledged. “He missed that one pass behind him, but in our room, you touch it, you catch it. I throw a bunch of low balls to my guys every day, and those are the hardest ones for big guys to catch—he’ll make that next time.”
As Hill continues to develop, the Dolphins and their fans are eager to see how he will contribute further to a dynamic offense that is beginning to harness his unique skill set.
