Why Waller's Potential Return Creates Difficult Decision for Dolphins at Tight End

The Miami Dolphins spent Week 12 on the bye, allowing the team to get a little bit healthier after dealing with a good number of injuries to starters this season.

One of those starters is tight end Darren Waller, who landed on injured reserve with a pectoral injury following the team’s loss against the Cleveland Browns. Well, head coach Mike McDaniel told reporters Monday that Waller’s 21-day practice window would open Wednesday.

That doesn’t guarantee that Waller will play against the New Orleans Saints on Sunday, but it’s the first step toward him returning to the field.

Waller was a revelation for the Dolphins when he debuted in Week 4 against the New York Jets, recording 10 catches for 117 yards and four touchdowns before getting hurt.

However, Miami’s tight end usage has changed a lot since Waller’s injury.

Where Does Waller Fit into Miami’s Offense?

Waller’s injury, along with Julian Hill missing some time, has forced the Dolphins to change a lot of how they're using tight ends.

The team has started incorporating offensive lineman Daniel Brunskill as an extra tight end and using a lot of heavier formations in general. That means Tanner Conner has been demoted to the practice squad, while Hayden Rucci and Greg Dulcich have been elevated.

Dulcich has shown a lot of promise as a young pass catcher with some legitimate juice after the catch. Rucci has already lost some of his blocking reps to Hill, but he’s also put some good tape out there in recent weeks.

Waller doesn’t really fit into this strategy a ton. He doesn’t offer anything as a blocker, but the Dolphins did start using heavier personnel against the Panthers, a game when Waller played 32 total snaps.

The Dolphins shouldn’t stop using Brunskill as an extra blocker. Although some of the underlying metrics aren’t perfect, it’s allowed the Dolphins to throw something different at defenses.

Miami has had a bunch of successful deep passing plays with Brunksill on the field, selling the run and providing extra protection.

Hill is still the team’s best blocking tight end, so he’s not losing his job. That means Waller likely pushes one of Dulcich or Rucci out of the rotation. From a role perspective, it makes more sense for Waller to replace Dulcich.

Waller is a dynamic receiving target who can beat man coverage and win contested catches in the red zone. The only other Dolphins’ receiver who can do the former is Jaylen Waddle, and the team doesn’t have anyone else who can do the latter.

Without Tyreek Hill, Miami has lacked a potent second option in the receiving game. Waller could certainly help with that, but is that short-term improvement worth stunting the growth of young players like Dulcich and Rucci?

The other piece of this puzzle is how much relying on Waller is even viable. He missed the first three games of the season with an injury and, of course, missed at least the last four games.

While it’s easy to say that Miami should consider not taking Dulcich and Rucci off the field from a big-picture point of view, Miami’s coaching staff is fighting for its job, so it’ll likely feel differently.

There’s a version of history where Waller operates only in the slot or where Miami gets even more creative with its tight end usage. Dulcich and Waller would certainly pose an interesting problem in the passing game for defenses.

Still, there are only snaps that can go around, and given the team’s success with Brunskill as a sixth offensive lineman, that should take priority. We’ll have to wait and see how the Dolphins handle it when Waller officially returns to the active roster.

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