On Sunday, the Miami Dolphins will open their 2025 season on the road against the Indianapolis Colts. Currently, Darren Waller isn't going to play.
Waller has already been ruled out by the Dolphins for Sunday's game. He has yet to fully practice with the team since a late July trade brought him to Miami. So far, what looked like a smart and savvy acquisition has turned into an utter disappointment.
On Friday, head coach Mike McDaniel said Waller had a setback on Thursday, and now, he won't be making his Dolphins debut this weekend.
Miami Dolphins should consider other TE options given Darren Waller's problems
The Dolphins' top tight end has become the running joke among fans and some in the media, and it isn't likely to change soon. If the Dolphins are not regretting this mistake, they should be. Waller has turned into this year's version of Odell Beckham Jr.
If the Dolphins were to make a bold move and trade for another tight end, they would not be closer to winning the division. The position is a minor one in Mike McDaniel's system. Fans look at last season with Jonnu Smith and see a loss of production heading into 2025, but that isn't really the case.
During Miami's big run in 2023, the Dolphins' top tight end was Durham Smythe. Smythe led the team in receptions at the position with 35 catches on just 53 targets. Last year, Smith caught 88 on 111 targets. It's easy to understand the difference between the two seasons and has nothing to do with personnel.
Miami was healthy during the 2023 season, but last year, Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle spent time banged up. Hill played through a serious wrist injury all season, and of course, Tua Tagovailoa went out for six games, including the final two.
The Dolphins, specifically McDaniel, had little choice but to rely on Smith for production. Smith had hoped to turn that into a new contract, but Miami balked and traded him to the Steelers.
Many fans see Waller as the guy who will give Miami the same production, but chances are, even if he were healthy, the offense likes to spread the football around.
With Waddle and Hill both healthy, Malik Washington starting to shine, and the addition of Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, there aren't a lot of extra balls to go around, and in the Dolphins' offensive system, the position most likely to be left out is tight end.
The news of a "setback" for Waller isn't actually a surprise; the surprise would have been him suiting up and finishing one practice or playing in the season opener.