Darren Waller is back in the NFL, and that alone says plenty about how thin the tight end market can get.
On Wednesday, Waller signed with the Carolina Panthers, resurfacing after a Dolphins stint that never quite matched the idea Miami had in mind when it brought him in. The Dolphins believed they could pull off the same kind of magic they got from Jonnu Smith the year before, then leaned into the same bet with Waller after Frank Smith coaxed him out of retirement.
That plan spent most of training camp sounding more like a weekly update than a football decision. Mike McDaniel kept telling everyone Waller was close. Close turned into four games into the season.
When Waller finally played in Miami last year, he still managed to put up numbers in flashes. In nine games active, he scored six touchdowns.
Two came in his first game back against the Jets in Week 4. Two more arrived on Monday Night Football against the Steelers, the game that officially knocked the Dolphins out of the playoffs and ended Tua Tagovailoa's starting career in Miami.
But the bigger story around Waller’s lone season with the Dolphins was how little of it actually happened on the field. He missed Weeks 1 through 3, then 8 through 12, dealing with a string of injuries. The source of the frustration was clear: Miami traded for him from the Giants, only to watch him arrive already broken.
The last time Dolphins fans really heard from Waller came on a podcast where he was recapping the day his head coach was fired. He described a meeting with McDaniel, then said Stephen Ross walked in, Waller walked out, and McDaniel was close behind him moments later.
Now Waller lands in Carolina, where the Panthers already have plenty of tight ends but no obvious difference-maker at the position. They’re carrying six on the roster, with six-year veteran Tommy Tremble the most experienced and second-year player Mitchell Evans listed behind him.
The link to Waller is Darrell Bevell, now Carolina’s assistant head coach and offensive specialist. Bevell worked with Waller last season in Miami, which makes the fit easy to explain even if the move itself raises eyebrows. Jonnu Smith, after all, had a better season two years ago and is available.
So yes, the signing draws a laugh. But it also fits a familiar NFL pattern: a needy team taking another swing on a name it knows, hoping the old production still has a little life left in it.
Carolina is hoping Waller can give them six touchdowns this year. It probably needs to hope he can play in six games, too.
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