The Miami Dolphins' offseason wasn't one of their best, but it did come with some moves that still have fans wondering what they were thinking.
Darren Waller replacing Jonnu Smith raised a lot of early questions. The trade wasn't bad from a compensation standpoint, and the contract itself wasn't a big issue, but Waller spent 2024 retired and started camp on the PuP list. He wasn't removed from the list until days before the team's final preseason game.
The Dolphins would raise plenty of eyebrows, but it was Mike McDaniel's open admission that made this situation one of the most bizarre issues in team history.
Mike McDaniel's decision on Darren Waller baffled fans from the start of training camp.
The Dolphins wanted to bring Waller back slowly, given the fact that he spent all of 2024 retired, but they assured the fans and media that he was ready to go both physically and mentally. As the Dolphins prepared for their first full-contact practice, McDaniel said he was keeping Waller inactive because he didn't think he was ready to return to that level of practice.
Fans dismissed the notion and laughed, considering they brought in Chris Myarick, who hasn't played a down in three years. They brought in other players coming off season-ending injuries last season without a problem. Then it got weirder when they started joint practices.
As Miami headed to Detroit, McDaniel was again asked about Waller's situation. The head coach announced that he didn't think it was a good idea to activate Waller and throw him into a joint practice after spending the season retired.
Both fans and media alike were completely flabbergasted as to why a veteran NFL player who had only missed one season was suddenly not able to practice or play at the next level. Many believed Waller had an undisclosed injury the Dolphins were hiding, or that there were concerns about his ability to step back on the field.
Whatever the reasons were for Waller to stay off the field, the entire problem continued to snowball into something much bigger, until all of a sudden, it wasn't an issue.