Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa really got things going on Monday night in a 27-21 win over the New York Jets when he took his team 96 yards for a touchdown.
Tagovailoa hit tight end Darren Waller for a 4-yard touchdown pass for a 10-0 lead after the Dolphins got a fumble recovery on the previous Jets drive. That connection between Tagovailoa and Waller could develop in the coming weeks because the Dolphins will need pass catches to step up in place of star wide receiver Tyreek Hill, who sustained a dislocated knee in the game.
“Yeah, I mean, he played really good,” Tagovailoa said about Waller. “Any time you get the ball in your hands and you score twice, that shows us that you’re a viable option for us or you could be a viable option for us.”
“But that first touchdown, I mean I can’t remember the last time I’ve thrown the ball to dang near the goal post and somebody catches it like that. So that’s the kind of guy that we have in Darren Waller,” Tagovaioloa added.
Waller, a 2015 sixth-round pick by the Baltimore Ravens, joined the Dolphins this year via trade and coming out of retirement. He announced his retirement in June 2024, but with his interest in coming back, the New York Giants, his last team, trades him and a 2027 seventh-round pick to the Dolphins in July this year.
Miami only gave up a 2026 sixth-round pick in the trade, and the Dolphins have a veteran tight end, who played well in his debut on Monday. Waller had three catches for 27 yards and two touchdowns.
You don’t put in plays or have players play with the expectation of anything but their best,” Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel told reporters afterward. “I knew he was fully capable. I just didn’t want to overcook it.”
Why Darren Waller Didn’t Play Until Monday
The Dolphins activated Waller in August, but he needed time to readjust to the NFL. He last played an NFL game 631 days before Monday’s game.
“It inspires me and I think it inspires his teammates,” McDaniel said. “A guy that has a love for the game of football and does the journey to get back. Everybody kind of I think empathized, but at the same time, it’s tough when you get to a new team and then you’re a partial participater, and it takes a while.”
“All he’s done is everything that he possibly can do and put his best foot forward, and he has been a phenomenal contributor to our team. I think the guys have felt it. He’s been doing everything he can to participate, and they were very confident when he was ready to go that he would be what we know him to be,” McDaniel added.
Darren Waller Brings Size to the Table
Waller, a 6-foot-6 and 238-pound tight end, played for the Ravens from 2015 to 2018, followed by the Las Vegas Raiders from 2018 to 2022, and the Giants in 2023. He has 350 receptions for 4,124 yards and 20 touchdowns.
“So I think he is a nice complement to what we previously thought were height restrictions for eligibles,” McDaneil said with a laugh about Waller’s height. “He’s much taller than all the guys my size. But he’ll continue to build, and I think he’s excited just to play football and be involved. “He did a great job and took a nice warmup to get his first catch. It was nice.”
“It was a little more acrobatic that I hoped his first catch would be. He did a good job and the line blocked phenomenally. (Assistant Head Coach/Tight Ends) Coach Embree and (Offensive Coordinator) Frank Smith made sure his first taste of football, I don’t think he had one MA (missed assignment). He’s been on it,” McDaniel added. “So I’m happy and proud for him.”
Dolphins’ Tua Tagovailoa Finds ‘Viable’ Target Amid Tyreek Hill Injury