Tight end Darren Waller unexpectedly came out of retirement during the offseason and was then traded to the Miami Dolphins in a deal with the New York Giants.
However, Waller has yet to suit up for the Dolphins through three games. After he was ruled out for the first two contests, Waller was once again ruled out for the Week 3 game against the Buffalo Bills due to a hip injury.
Waller's inability to suit up comes on the heels of him not taking part in training camp after he was placed on the physically unable to perform list. Waller later admitted he didn't practice because he had to "knock some rust off" from retirement.
Waller was activated from the list before final cuts, but after not playing over the first three games, many are wondering if we'll ever see Waller take the field for Miami.
Here's what we know about that.
Will Darren Waller play this season?
In the lead up to the Week 2 game against the New England Patriots, head coach Mike McDaniel made an ominous comment about Waller's status that led many to believe we may never see the tight end play for the Dolphins.
“I expect to not know what to expect until later on this week,” McDaniel said to the media on Sept. 10. “We may get to a point where we realize the risk is too great for the rest of the season and we’ll have to do what’s best for the team."
Outside of McDaniel's ominous comment, there has been nothing to suggest that Waller won't play in 2025. In fact, there was even a positive update on that front this week.
Darren Waller injury update
While Waller was eventually ruled out, he did take part in practice this week for the first time during the regular season, according to the team's official injury report. Waller was a limited participant for all three sessions despite his hip issue.
That suggests that the former Pro Bowler is getting closer to being ready to take the field for Miami. We'll see if Waller is able to do that in Week 4, when the Dolphins take on the New York Jets.
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