Miami Dolphins tight end Darren Waller wants to play now.
In the days leading to the Dolphins’ preseason opener against the Chicago Bears, coach Mike McDaniel revealed the one-time Pro Bowler has seemingly been itching to go. McDaniel even went as far as to share that Waller wanted to suit up for the joint practice.
“Yeah,” McDaniel responded Friday when asked if Waller has a pushed for his activation from the player unable to preform list. The 32-year-old has yet to practice following his placement on the PUP list at the start of joint practices. “Luckily I’m more motivated by science and talking to the trainers but yes he‘s trying to set me up like I like from the super competitors. I’ve gotten more of the same but he’ll have deadpan resistance from me as a I have long vision for the team and for him.”
McDaniel added that he and tight end coach Jon Embree have slowly ramped up Waller’s training — albeit mentally.
“I’ve been throwing out all sorts of challenges to his popsition coach to do extra little things to make sure he’s on top of all the nuances of the position so when he gets on the field, all things we can control, from an assigment standpoint, he’s on,” McDaniel said, calling Waller a “super cerebal player” who has responded well to the challenge.
This comes just days after McDaniel revealed that Waller could return in “about a week.”
“It’s a little tricky because you’re bringing a guy back and is his first practice a joint practice?” McDaniel said Wednesday. “So it’s about a week or so. It’s a little tricky in terms of what practice and we’ll feel our way through that and you’re just trying to be smart with that.”
With the tight end Jonnu Smith traded to the Pittsburgh Steelers, Waller will have high expectations whenever he does suit up. Smith had the best tight end season in Dolphins franchise history, setting new records in catches (88), yards receiving (884) and touchdowns (eight), each of which ranked within the top-three on the team. While it would be tough to ask Waller, one year removed from retirement, to produce similarly, the nine-year veteran has back-to-back seasons with more than 90 catches and 1,100 yards receiving, something that Smith has never done.
“I expect to bring playmaking ability,” Waller said in his first appearance as a Dolphin on July 26. “There’s a lot of guys on this team that can do amazing things with the ball. I’m excited just to be a part of that group.”
More than that, Waller believes his unique, NFL journey — from being sixth-round draft pick to going to rehab for substance abuse problems to making a Pro Bowl — has given him “some wisdom” that he intends to share.
“I feel like I can bring just some wisdom and experience to not only my position room, but to the team,” Waller continued. “I feel like everything you probably experienced, except probably winning the Super Bowl, is something I’ve gone through – whether it’s been drafted late, core special team guy, suspended from the league, practice squad, starter, Pro Bowler, traded a couple of times. There are guys that are going through situations and going through things that may need somebody to lean on, talk to, I feel like I can be that as well, but most importantly be somebody that does their job at a high level.”
Waller, who retired after 2023 season after he fell out of love with the game, only returned to play for the Dolphins for a few reasons. For starters, the absence somewhat humbled the former Georgia Tech standout as he realized how fortunate he was to just be in the NFL. That’s when the love returned, something that the recently retired Terron Armstead noticed during his time at training camp.
“Every time that the offense made a play, he could help himself to react,” Armstead said during an episode of “The Set with T. Stead.” “He’s super locked in and excited about getting a chance to play with his offense.”
Then, arguably most important, was his relationship with offensive coordinator Frank Smith. The two had known each other since 2018 when Smith was the recently sober Waller’s tight end coach.
“One of the first things he was interested in was what do I need as a man in my newfound sobriety, whatever I need to just be solid as a human being, and that struck me a lot,” Waller said. “Then just his knowledge of the game, the culture that he created not only in our room, but just with how he interacted with players I thought was rare in coaches I had seen to that point. Some of the best years in my career were with him in the room and just some of my best football memories overall.”
Whenever Waller finally gets clear, Smith will certainly be ecstatic. The offensive coordinator nearly choked up when talking about their reunion.
“It’s why you do this,” Smith said Aug. 4, calling Waller his “little brother.” “It’s the connections you have with guys. His journey is really unique, and it’s a lot of the reason I’m here today. To be able to share it again with him is really cool, and to hear him and where he’s at mentally and how he wants to contribute and just be a part of the team again is an awesome moment because of who he is as a man and then what he can provide as a player.”