Why The Dolphins Expect Waller to Hit the Ground Running

Miami Dolphins tight end Darren Waller has yet to take part in a practice with his new team.

Miami Dolphins tight end Darren Waller | Alain Poupart/Miami Dolphins On SI

Darren Waller hasn’t stepped on the practice field yet, but the Miami Dolphins are optimistic about what he can bring to their offense.

Assistant head coach and tight ends coach Jon Embree believes Waller’s football IQ will help him catch up quickly.

“The first thing that really impressed me about him is his ability to quickly grasp the offense,” Embree said Monday. “He has a pretty good grasp of the details initially starting out. That's huge because that'll allow us to do more with him and move him around in the formations and all that.

“And then just his range, his catch radius. Probably not since Tony [Gonzalez] or Jordan Cameron had a guy that has that kind of radius as far as catching the ball.”

Waller, a 2015 sixth-round pick by the Baltimore Ravens, emerged as one of the league’s top tight ends during his time with the Las Vegas Raiders. He caught 90 passes for 1,145 yards and three touchdowns in 2019, then followed that with a career-best season of 107 receptions, 1,196 yards, and nine touchdowns.

He announced his retirement last June and missed the 2024 season after three straight years with fewer than 60 receptions. That said, the Dolphins don’t necessarily need Waller to match Jonnu Smith’s production, which included a team-high 88 receptions and eight touchdowns. 

“We’ll see what he’s going to bring to us,” Embree said. “I’m losing Jonnu, trying to replace that piece with [Waller], his pass-catching and his route-running ability. He's always been one of the better route runners in the league at that position.“

Still, he’ll need to prove he can sync up with quarterback Tua Tagovailoa in Miami’s timing-based offense.

“I know they threw some, I believe, before camp,” Embree said. “It'll be important to get it going, obviously, sooner than later, but it's crazy because there's still a long way left in this journey.” 

Waller Starts Camp on PUP List

While Waller began building chemistry with Tagovailoa earlier this offseason, he opened training camp on the physically unable to perform list as he works his way back into football shape.

Miami’s Week 1 matchup against the Indianapolis Colts is still over a month away, so Embree isn’t overly concerned about him missing early reps in camp. 

“My main thing with [Waller] was just the grasp of the offense and understanding the nuances so that we can get that going because at the end of the day, him and Tua on a stick route, [they] should be able to do that in their sleep,” Embree said.

Until Waller’s ready to hit the practice field, Julian Hill, Pharaoh Brown, Tanner Conner, Hayden Rucci and newcomer Chris Myarick will get extended runs to make their case for a roster spot at tight end.