The Miami Dolphins will have to navigate at least the next four games without Darren Waller.
Miami placed the Pro Bowl tight end on injured reserve after he suffered a pectoral injury against the Cleveland Browns. The earliest that Waller could return would be against the New Orleans Saints on Nov. 30.
Waller had grown to be an integral cog to the Dolphins’ offense during his four-game stint in the aqua and orange.
Although Waller missed the first three games of a season with a hip injury, he arrived with a bang during the Dolphins’ 27-21 victory over the New York Jets, catching three balls for 27 yards and two touchdowns. He would record five catches for 78 yards and a touchdown in his subsequent game against the Carolina Panthers. Waller would then catch two balls — including the go-ahead touchdown — for 12 yards vs. the Los Angeles Chargers.
The 33-year-old would injure his pectoral late in the first half of the Dolphins’ eventual 31-6 loss to the Cleveland Browns and never return. He was held to zero targets prior to his exit.
An MRI revealed that Waller had a strained pectoral muscle, per the Herald’s Barry Jackson.
On the season, Waller has recorded 10 catches for 117 yards and four touchdowns.
With Waller on IR, the Dolphins signed tight end Greg Dulcich to the active roster and added Chris Myarick to the practice squad. Picked in the third round of the 2022 NFL Draft, Dulcich has yet to live up to expectations following a solid showing as a rookie. The then-22-year-old caught 33 balls for 411 yards and two touchdowns with the Denver Broncos.
In the years since that 2022 season, Dulcich has eight catches for 53 yards, having split time with both the Broncos and New York Giants.
This story was originally published October 22, 2025 at 12:39 PM.
C. Isaiah Smalls II
Miami Herald
C. Isaiah Smalls II is a sports and culture writer who covers the Miami Dolphins. In his previous capacity at the Miami Herald, he was the race and culture reporter who created The 44 Percent, a newsletter dedicated to the Black men who voted to incorporate the city of Miami. A graduate of both Morehouse College and Columbia Graduate School of Journalism, Smalls previously worked for ESPN’s Andscape.
