When the Miami Dolphins traded for Darren Waller, the thoughts of losing Jonnu Smith were glossed over, but when training camp started, Waller was on the sideline.
Waller signed with the Dolphins shortly after Miami traded Smith to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Waller had spent the 2024 season on the reserve/retired list. He wanted to come back and play football, but only for Dolphins offensive coordinator Frank Smith, whom he had played for before.
Drew Rosenhaus says his client Darren Waller WILL be ready for Week 1. The TE is on the PUP list working back into “football shape” after taking a year off. Mike McDaniel will not comment on players that are not active. Good nugget from Drew. #FinsUp pic.twitter.com/V94hLMonBV
— Josh Moser (@TheMozKnowz) August 5, 2025
Darren Waller will be ready for the Miami Dolphins 2025 regular-season opener
Since his arrival, Waller has been on the sidelines watching practices, but if his agent is correct, that will be changing quite soon.
Drew Rosenhaus was on Sports Xtra with Josh Moser recently when he was asked about Waller's status. Rosenhaus said his client will be ready for Week 1 and is only getting back into "football shape." He has already missed two weeks of camp, raising the question of how out of shape he was.
With Waller on the bench, the Dolphins recently added Chris Myarick to the tight end unit. Myarick will replace Jalin Conyers, a promising undrafted free agent who was placed on IR earlier in the week. Myarick was on the Dolphins roster in 2020. He played in three games for Miami that season before leaving for the Giants as a free agent.
The signing is an interesting one, considering he hasn't played since 2022 with New York. In his three seasons in the league, Myarick has seven receptions on eight targets. The Dolphins' tight end unit isn't horribly bad, but it's a far cry from what they had last year, at least until we see Waller on the field.
Miami entertained Noah Fant recently, who would have had a big impact on the roster, but he ultimately left Miami and joined the Bengals. The fact that Miami is looking at tight end is somewhat concerning, as they could have simply bumped Smith's pay and had the unit set for this season.