Darren Waller is coming out of retirement to sign with the Miami Dolphins

Darren Waller is coming out of retirement to sign with the Miami Dolphins

Oh, we love some fun news in the NFL. The Miami Dolphins are acquiring tight end Darren Waller from the New York Giants. That’s according to multiple reports. Now, ESPN’s reporting that Miami is sending a conditional sixthround pick to New York. Miami is also getting a conditional seventhrounder. Waller did retire last summer after spending the 2023 season with the Giants. He is going to step in for Johnny Smith in Miami with Smith shipped off to the Steelers. All right, we got our Super Bowl champ Logan Ryan. Our fantasy expert Dave Richard with us now to break this one down. So Darren Waller coming out of retirement traded to the Dolphins. Um Logan wasn’t expecting this one on the bingo card. No, no, it’s been some breaking news lately. Let me check my phone. Let me see if
anything else.
Do not disturb one.
I want to see if the AFC North is going to call me to, you know, to return to play here. Um look, Darren Waller, I played against him. You’re talking about 6’5, 4340. When he wants to play, he is a tough cover. You put him in that Miami offense with some space, some heat, his hamstrings should be feeling well, and if he can get open in that offense, he can do big things. The biggest thing with Darren Waller throughout his career, especially to the end of it, was always, does he want to play? Does he want to play? When when he was in New York, I was hearing from players that he didn’t want to play. He wasn’t fully invested, and that obviously led to the retirement. And I’ve been there. I I played 11 years in this league and I had to start thinking about when I when do I want to be done playing. And when you start thinking like that, the sooner the end is sooner rather than later. At his best in 2019, 2020, you see how he was cooking in that one year, twoear span there with over 2,000 yards. And in the last couple years, obviously, the production dipped. It’s not a talent issue with Darren Waller. Never has been. It’s a one-two issue. I know he had the rap career. Know he had a lot of stuff going on. But if they get a healthy invested Darren Waller, he can do big big numbers in a Miami offense this year.
It really is a fascinating twist. I It happens. You know, guys retire, they do some other stuff, they come back, they say they miss it, they want to play, they still have that athleticism in their body to go out there and find success. Fantasy value though for him. What do you think?
I I wouldn’t count on Darren Waller being a big- time fantasy asset. I hate to say it because once upon a time I loved this guy. He was a great talent. He did great with the Raiders. He’s even reuniting with Dolphins offensive coordinator Frank Smith. Smith was with him in Oakland. This is how far back it goes. The Raiders were in Oakland when Waller had his breakout year, but he’s 33 years old. Didn’t play last year. Uh Logan said he runs a 4340. I I don’t know if the decimals should be before or after the three in that based on what I saw from him when he played for the Giants in 2023. I don’t know what’s left here. If we’re talking about a a part-time rotational piece in the Dolphins offense where he might play 20 25 snaps per game, okay, cool. He can probably do that. He can help the Dolphins in that regard, but that’s not going to help people in fantasy football. We’re looking for tight ends who can finish first or second on their team and targets every single week. And he’s not going to be able to do that in Miami unless something happens to Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Wadd and Devon Aan, the running back there. I think he’s going to end up being a non-issue. I said it on our podcast, Jenny. If you want to take him with one of your last picks and try and rekindle that love that you had with Darren Waller way back in the day, go for it. It’s your team. I’m not going to do it with my team.
All right. So, Waller now, some people might rekindle the love with him in Miami. Johnny Smith shipped off to the Steelers. What’s the value for Smith?
Yeah, I don’t like him in fantasy either anymore because he’s hatred over here. Hatred’s a strong Listen, fantasy is a game of statistics. I’m worried about the statistics that these guys are going to have. But I’d rather have Janu. Like if you’re telling me I’ve got to take one of the two between Janu and Darren Waller who hasn’t played football and we have no idea what he’s like. It’s going to be an easy call to take Janu Smith and he might be the number two target getter in Pittsburgh this year. It just makes sense. DK Mechaf’s there. But this is a team in Pittsburgh and this is a play caller in Arthur Smith. Jenny John Smith knows this better than anybody because he’s worked with Arthur Smith before. He wants to run the football. He wants to stay close to 5050 when it comes to the pass run ratio. And if Aaron Rogers is actually going to get reeled in on throwing the football, which I think he will a little bit, it means fewer target opportunities for John Smith. And the only reason why John did what he did last year was because the Dolphins threw the ball a lot and John Smith had twothirds of his targets inside of five yard lines from the five yard line from the line of scrimmage. And he caught a bunch of touchdowns. He was good in the red zone. I don’t think he’s going to be nearly as productive. Neither of these guys are top 12 tight ends. I would not be surprised if people went into their drafts and saw neither of these tight ends picked in August.
Dang. Maybe last pick, maybe not picked at all. Dave Richard, thanks for this update. Logan Ryan, we got more coming from you, but we have plenty more on fantasy football today. It’s never too early to get ready for your fantasy football season. The latest pod, they’re talking about players they’re worried about being wrong about. Maybe Darren Waller might be one of those players. We will wait and see. Check it out. Wherever you’re taking your favorite pods

Former NFL player Logan Ryan and Fantasy Expert Dave Richard react to the news of Darren Waller coming out of retirement and signing with the Miami Dolphins.

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