Darren Waller‘s unretirement produced an injury-driven delay, but once the former Pro Bowl tight end debuted, he made a difference for the Dolphins. That has proven short-lived.
Miami is placing Waller on IR, per NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero. The veteran pass catcher suffered a pectoral strain in Week 7, and he will miss at least four games. This certainly clouds Waller’s comeback year, as injuries have dogged him for a while now. Miami is signing Greg Dulcich off its practice squad to take Waller’s roster spot. Chris Myarick will take Dulcich’s P-squad spot, the Miami Herald’s Barry Jackson tweets.
It took Waller until Week 4 to debut as a Dolphin; a hip strain kept him off the field for most of September. Upon finally returning to action, the former Raiders standout caught two touchdown passes in a Dolphins win over the Jets. Waller added a 78-yard performance the following week. In his first three games with Miami, Waller scored four touchdowns. That matched his combined total from the 2022 and ’23 seasons, but another setback will force a hiatus.
The Raiders found a gem in Waller during Jon Gruden‘s tenure, and the converted wide receiver did not miss a game during the 2019 or ’20 seasons. This brought back-to-back 1,100-yard years, and that production eventually keyed a raise just before the 2022 season. In 2021, however, Waller missed six contests. In 2022, the Josh McDaniels-Dave Ziegler regime was believed to have been frustrated by Waller’s slow recovery from a hamstring injury. Waller missed eight games that season, and the Raiders traded him to the Giants soon after. During his New York one-off, Waller missed five contests due to another hamstring issue.
Waller retired midway through the 2024 offseason, but shortly after the Dolphins traded Jonnu Smith to the Steelers, he reemerged from retirement to help out. Only seeking an NFL return in Miami, Waller signed a one-year, $2MM Dolphins deal with no guarantees. Being on Miami’s Week 1 roster led to that sum becoming guaranteed. But the Dolphins will not see their low-end trade flier provide much, as the 10th-year veteran will end up missing at least seven games with the team — and that is only if he returns from IR after the four-game minimum.
The Dolphins are down Waller and Tyreek Hill, leaving a host of unproven players around Jaylen Waddle for the 1-6 team. No other Dolphins wideout or tight end has more than 100 receiving yards. The team has not acted on Mike McDaniel yet, but it would seem the embattled leader is coaching for his job at this point. Outside of Smith’s 2024 showing, McDaniel has not seen much from his tight ends during his Miami stay. Another uphill battle appears in store at the position.