Darren Waller's return to the NFL with Dolphins includes his first TD since 2023

NurPhoto via Getty Images

When the Miami Dolphins traded for Darren Waller this summer, it was probably the first time you'd thought about him in a while. 

Waller had a miserable 2023 season with the New York Giants and then retired in 2024. Waller recently said he was considering retirement early in that 2023 season, unhappy with his role. And it wasn't unusual for Waller to walk away. He would have been entering his age-32 season, and plenty of players at that age are considering calling it a career, especially at the tight end position. 

But Waller returned, Miami traded for him and after missing the Dolphins' first three games due to injury, he made a big impact. 

On a fourth-and-goal in Monday night's game against the New York Jets, Waller reminded everyone that he was back. Tua Tagovailoa threw him a jump ball in the back of the end zone and Waller showed off the athleticism that made him a Pro Bowl tight end with the Raiders. He went up for the 4-yard score. That gave the Dolphins a 10-0 lead. 

It was Waller's first NFL touchdown since Oct. 22, 2023. There was no reason to believe, until a few months ago, that he would ever catch another touchdown in the NFL. 

Waller had an unusual story. He was a sixth-round pick of the Baltimore Ravens, and was suspended multiple times for violations of the NFL's substance abuse policy. He talked openly about his battles with addiction as he got another chance with the Raiders and became a breakout star, peaking in 2019 and 2020 when he had back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons. His lone season with the Giants, after he was traded by the Raiders, went terribly and then he retired. 

There was no reason then to believe Waller would ever be a factor in the NFL again. At age 33, he officially was back.