Dolphins' Darren Waller Activated off PUP After Coming out of Retirement

One month after ending his retirement to join with the Miami Dolphins, Darren Waller appears ready to practice with his new team for the first time leading up to the start of the regular season.

The Dolphins announced on Wednesday that Waller has been activated off the physically unable to perform list.

Waller, who retired in June 2024, was a surprise addition by the Dolphins during the offseason. He was acquired in a trade with the New York Giants, who still held his contractual rights, on July 1.

Miami sent a 2026 sixth-round draft pick and a conditional seventh-round pick in 2027 to New York for the veteran tight end. Waller's acquisition came after the Dolphins sent Jonnu Smith to the Pittsburgh Steelers as part of the Jalen Ramsey trade.

The Dolphins placed Waller on the PUP list right before the start of training camp to give him more time to get back into football shape.

Head coach Mike McDaniel told reporters on Monday he was expecting Waller to start practicing "sooner than later," but the team wanted to be careful about rushing him back too fast because of his long layoff from football.

Miami's offense is in rough shape just two weeks away from the start of the regular season. Tyreek Hill has been dealing with an oblique injury that has kept him out of recent practices, though McDaniel indicated they were being more cautious than anything with the star receiver.

Running back De'Von Achane likely won't practice this week due to a calf injury. Achane and Hill were Miami's top two players by scrimmage yards last season, combining for 2,511 yards and 18 total touchdowns.

Waller will be tasked with replacing Smith's production at tight end. Smith, a 2024 Pro Bowl selection, set career-highs in receptions (88), receiving yards (884) and receiving touchdowns (eight) in 17 games.

The last time Waller played was during the 2023 season with the Giants. He finished with 552 yards and one touchdown in 12 games. The 32-year-old had back-to-back seasons with 1,000 receiving yards in 2019 and 2020.

There's no indication at this point if Waller will play in Miami's preseason finale against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Saturday.

The Dolphins will open the regular season on Sept. 7 against the Indianapolis Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium.