Early-season injuries to right guard James Daniels and right tackle Austin Jackson left the Dolphins offensive line shorthanded in their winless first three games of 2025.
Miami has also been without tight end Darren Waller to start the year. The veteran tight end suffered a hip injury before Week 1, delaying his return to the field after coming out of retirement in the offseason.
Daniels is on injured reserve with an unclear return timeline, but the Dolphins have gotten some clarity on the other two. The team is optimistic that Jackson will be ready to play when he’s eligible to come off IR in Week 6, per ESPN’s Marcel Louis-Jacques. That will bolster the blind side of quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, who has been pressured 28 times on 77 dropbacks in the last two weeks, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required).
Waller, meanwhile, is expected to make his 2025 debut in Week 4, per Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. Head coach Mike McDaniel said that he might have suited up had the Dolphins played on Sunday this week instead of Thursday, but added that Waller’s body “has to follow through.”
Since Waller has been out of the NFL since 2023, it’s less clear what he will add to Miami’s offense. McDaniel’s scheme doesn’t emphasize tight ends, so it’s not a major disappointment that Julian Hill and Tanner Conner have only combined for four catches and 37 yards in their first three games.
Still, the Dolphins would certainly like to get more from the position. After back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons in 2019 and 2020, injuries hampered Waller over the next three years, but he still averaged 50.2 yards per game in that span. He may not have as many opportunities in Miami, but he could still be an upgrade over the team’s current options.