When the Miami Dolphins traded for Darren Waller, it made sense. There was a need at the position, the cost was justifiable, and both Waller and the New York Giants were destined to go different ways. Waller's desire to get back into football after a year of retirement set the Dolphins up for a good addition.
From the start of training camp, Mike McDaniel made his excuses as to why his top tight end wasn't practicing, but all along, fans have questioned what was going on behind the scenes.
On Wednesday, the Dolphins' first injury report of the season may have answered a big part of those questions. Waller had a "Did not practice" designation as he sat out with a hip injury. It was the same case on Thursday, and now many are wondering what exactly Miami is not telling us.
Darren Waller doesn't look like he will be ready to play for the Dolphins in Week 1
Anyone believing that Waller would make his way onto the field on opening day needs to rethink that. The Dolphins and his agent have all maintained he would be ready to go, but he has yet to have a single practice with the team.
The Dolphins have not spoken about the hip injury that is being reported. McDaniel will meet with the media again before the end of the week, and it will likely be questioned, but whether or not the head coach elaborates or side-steps the question is a different story. Here's what McDaniel said about the veteran on Wednesday:
""We're being very intentional with how we practice with Darren to do right by him and do right by the Dolphins.""Mike McDaniel
Waller played one season with the Giants in 2023, but he missed five games. While he still managed to produce a respectable 552 receiving yards, his time with the Giants wasn't considered significant. He lost his desire to play and abruptly retired at the end of the season.
With the Dolphins, it's unclear what is going on. Many have speculated that an undisclosed injury could be keeping him off the field, and it appears that may well be the case after the injury report release.
McDaniel has repeatedly kept Waller from being activated off the PUP list because he didn't want him to jump into joint practices. He was activated before preseason finale, but was kept on the sideline in street clothes. Since then, Waller has stayed away from team drills, leading many to believe that it would be shocking if Waller suited up on Sunday against the Colts.