Dolphins make Darren Waller injury announcement amid surprise NFL comeback

Billy Heyen

Dolphins make Darren Waller injury announcement amid surprise NFL comeback image

The unlikely NFL comeback continues for Darren Waller.

The former Raiders star chose to return to the league this fall and signed a $5 million contract with the Miami Dolphins to do so.

It hit a speedbump, though, when Waller was injured to start the offseason and was put on the physically unable to perform list.

On Wednesday, Waller was removed from the PUP list. He can start to ramp up for the season.

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Waller retired after playing for the New York Giants in the 2023 season.

When Waller returned from retirement, the Giants traded his rights to the Dolphins for a sixth-round draft pick.

The big tight end had his best NFL years with the Raiders. In 2019, he had 90 catches for 1,145 yards and three TDs.

His career year came in 2020: 107 catches, 1,196 yards, nine TDs.

Waller went on to have 665 yards in 11 games for the Raiders in 2021, then played in just nine games in 2022.

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He left for the Giants in 2023, and in 12 games, he caught 52 passes for 552 yards.

Waller will turn 33 years old on Sept. 13.

He's 6-foot-6 and still a strong athlete, which should help him make plays in the red zone.

The Dolphins traded tight end Jonnu Smith to the Steelers earlier this summer, so Waller can help take his place.

Miami will just be glad to get a chance to see what Waller can do finally after he had to miss most of the summer program. His comeback starts in earnest now.

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Billy Heyen

Billy Heyen is a freelance writer with The Sporting News. He is a 2019 graduate of Syracuse University who has written about many sports and fantasy sports for The Sporting News. Sports reporting work has also appeared in a number of newspapers, including the Sandusky Register and Rochester Democrat & Chronicle