It's been more than a month since Darren Waller joined the Miami Dolphins in a trade with the New York Giants. Now, they might get to see what he brings to the offense.
Waller has spent all of training camp on the inactive list. McDaniel believes Waller's absence from the league last year following his retirement was concerning enough to bring him back into the NFL slowly. Fans, on the other hand, questioned his conditioning.
On Wednesday, Miami finally took him off the PUP list, but that doesn't necessarily mean he'll return to practice right away.
Dolphins activating Darren Waller comes with questions and excitement
Waller is expected to be eased back into the fold slowly. McDaniel told the media ahead of the joint practices with the Lions that he didn't want Waller to come off the PUP because he didn't think a joint practice would be the best situation. This week, the Dolphins will host the Jaguars.
If Waller practices immediately, it would be a bit surprising. Miami has coddled him up to this point. Maybe they are being overly cautious, or perhaps he was dealing with an undisclosed injury or issue that didn't need to be released to the media. Either way, fans have been impatiently waiting for his return.
The first images of Waller in full pads at practice have fans excited about what he could bring to the offense. Jonnu Smith's emergence as the No. 2 target had fans cheering all year long, then his departure changed the mood.
Waller's comes to South Florida with a strong resume, and after last season fans are once again hoping to see a tight end thrive in McDaniel's offense.
With Waller unlikely to play a snap against the Jaguars, fans will probably have to wait until Week 1 of the regular season to gauge what Waller will bring to the offense. He could become one of Miami's top weapons given his talent.
The Dolphins have two weeks before they play the Colts, which is plenty of time for Waller to get up to speed. His return will make for an interesting unit decision when final cuts are made next Tuesday.
Miami could carry four tight ends into the regular season, but under Mike McDaniel they have historically taken fewer into the season. His return could end any chance of Hayden Rucci landing a spot and also put Tanner Conner's future into question as well.