In less than two weeks, the Miami Dolphins will play football. Whether Darren Waller takes the field for that game remains a mystery.
Waller sat out all of training camp because Mike McDaniel was afraid to throw him back on the field after he spent a year out of the league on the reserve/retired list. Just before the team's final exhibition game, Waller was activated off the PUP list, but he didn't play.
Now that preseason is over, one would expect Waller to be on the field getting ready for the season, but instead, he is still absent from the practices.
Darren Waller still isn't practicing less than two weeks for Dolphins' first regular season game
There has been considerable speculation about Waller's situation. Is he still not in football shape? Perhaps he is nursing an injury, as the Miami Herald's Omar Kelly floated. It doesn't matter what he is dealing with; the Dolphins' top tight end isn't working with the offense.
Miami released its final 53-man roster on Tuesday, and Waller was on the list as expected. They are carrying Waller, Julian Hill, and Tanner Conner into the season. As it stands today, there is no clear understanding of what is keeping Waller off the field.
With only two TEs working with the offense, should we assume this will be who they run with on opening day against the Colts? It continues to look that way.
McDaniel was asked about his situation on Tuesday, specifically if the plan is to continue ramping up Waller in practice. While McDaniel said yes, his answer was relatively flat and unconvincing.
Waller has been somewhat of an enigma since arriving via a trade with the Giants. On one hand, the Dolphins believe he will be the perfect asset on offense, but they are playing it coy regarding why he isn't on the field.
Next week, the Dolphins will release their first injury report of the season, and fans will be watching closely to see if the issue keeping Waller off the practice field has to do with something the team isn't disclosing.