Dolphins' McDaniel talks about Tyreek Hill's thumb injury, Tagovailoa and more on Wednesday

Dolphins receiver Tyreek Hill has a thumb injury, but coach Mike McDaniel said it is nothing serious.

Hill would have been able to fully participate in practice in Tampa on Wednesday, but is being excluded from team practice as a precautionary measure because full training “would put him at risk of further injury,” McDaniel said before training with the Buccaneers.

Hill is expected to participate in individual drills.

According to CBS-4, Hill apparently suffered the injury last week during a joint practice with Washington when he fell on his hand.

The Dolphins will also continue to be without receiver Jaylen Waddle, who will be out for nearly two weeks due to what McDaniel called a minor injury.

McDaniel addressed further issues on Wednesday morning:

▪ He said some regular players will play in Friday's final game of the season at Tampa Bay (7:30 p.m., CBS-4) and others will not.

“For the majority of the starters, today is a very big practice,” McDaniel said, especially for those who are not playing on Friday.

▪ He said tight end Jonnu Smith “can play different roles at different times. We've gotten a little taste of what he can bring to the physical mentality of our team.”

▪ McDaniel didn't seem particularly concerned that the Dolphins haven't had their full starting lineup together for weeks. While safety Jordan Poyer returned to practice this week after suffering a broken thumb a week into practice, safety Jevon Holland has missed two weeks with an unspecified injury.

“Everything was so encouraging because we took every opportunity to get better,” McDaniel said. “The guys really stepped up to get some of the best walkthroughs and communication reps. That's led by Jordan Poyer and [Kendall] Fuller and … Jalen Ramsey.”

▪ McDaniel said Mike White and Skylar Thompson, who are competing for the second quarterback job, would both complete practices on Wednesday.

“For anybody … I'm looking for that continued growth under ideal circumstances or maybe not ideal,” McDaniel said. “I don't need to see them throw to free receivers. I need to handle things to earn the respect of teammates. [and thrive] in the midst of the turmoil.”

▪ McDaniel said Tua Tagovailoa was “a player as adaptive as any I've ever seen and an incredible learner. He wasted no time in addressing issues that needed improvement.”

“I won't reveal what they are exactly,” McDaniel said. “But physically you can see one of them [in terms of weight loss to make him more mobile].”

McDaniel said Tagovailoa’s thoughts this offseason were: “I’m not [fully] satisfied with the results. I will work to change them.”

▪ McDaniel said he is happy with the personnel on the Dolphins' offensive line. Asked if he has already decided on the top guys, McDaniel said “seven guys are pretty solid,” but there are several battles for spots, “especially on the interior” of the offensive line.