Tight end Darren Waller started off his Miami Dolphins career with a bang after scoring four touchdowns over his first three contests with the team.
However, the scoring jolt Waller provided was short-lived, as he suffered a pectoral injury in the Week 7 game against the Cleveland Browns that put him on injured reserve.
Coming out of the bye in Week 13, Waller is now eligible to be activated off injured reserve after missing the minimum four games required.
Here's what we know about his chances of suiting up on Sunday against the New Orleans Saints.
Will Darren Waller return in Week 13?
The Dolphins announced on Monday that Waller will be designated to return from injured reserve this week, which opens the door for him to play in Week 13.
“Darren’s window will open Wednesday, and we will reintegrate him back into things,” Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel said on Monday.
The next step will be getting Waller on the practice field to see where he's at in terms of readiness to play. The Dolphins have 21 days to activate Waller from the day they designate him to return, so there's no guarantee he'll play this week.
The Phinsider's Kevin Nogle says that the Dolphins are typically conservative when it comes to bringing back players from IR, so he isn't ruling out the veteran tight end sitting out one more game.
"The team has, historically, been very conservative with bringing back injured players and could look toward Week 14 against the New York Jets as a more likely date for his return," Nogle writes.
At this point, we would say Waller has about a 50/50 shot to return to action in Week 13.
We'll have a better idea of where he stands on Wednesday, when the Dolphins drop their first injury report of the week ahead of the game against the Saints.
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