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It’s Nearly Now Or Never For Darren Waller The Miami Dolphins’ season has been just short of being in complete disarray so far this season. Their face was saved only by close losses to divisional opponents in the New England Patriots and Buffalo Bills. Had those contests been equally as one-sided as their season opener against the Indianapolis Colts, then all Dolphins fans would be calling for organizational changes instead of most of them. While the larger issues are more apparent, such as the defense’s lackluster performance thus far, earning them a total ranking of 26th in the league. Or the injuries that continue to stack up each week and have already torpedoed the secondary and offensive lines, two units that could ill afford to fall victim to injuries. Then you have national media members like Cam Newton calling out starting quarterback Tua Tagovailoa for his disappointing start to the season. Newton let his feelings be known on ESPN’s First Take this week. “Tua Tagovailoa is making more than Patrick Mahomes, Justin Herbert, Lamar Jackson, Jalen Hurts, Baker Mayfield, Matthew Stafford, Jayden Daniels,” Newton said. “Am I pocket watching? No, no, no. I’m putting things into perspective here. What did Biggie say? ‘More money, more problems.’ Well, in this case, it should be, ‘More money, more expectations.'” Tua, of course, fired back in a move that was abnormal for the generally reserved player. “I’d like to see a lot of other people go in the back there and try to catch that ball,” Tagovailoa told reporters. “You’ve seen it – it wasn’t [Brewer]’s best and ‘Brew’ knows he can get it better, but it wasn’t my best as well. But I’m just saying to give perspective, it’s not as easy as what it looked like sitting down on your couch eating chips.” I understand being frustrated about the criticism, but as Mike Oliva pointed out, playing the “you can’t do any better card” on a former NFL MVP comes off as tone deaf. An underrated issue for the Dolphins this season is the absence of a true pass-catching threat at tight end. After a season where Jonnu Smith rewrote the record books for the organization, Miami decided to move on from him rather than offer him a higher-paying contract. Their backup plan is Darren Waller, a former Pro Bowler who was out of football last season. Through three games, Waller has yet to take a snap. While he finally got on the practice field this week, his participation has been limited, and it feels iffy at best that he will play this week. McDaniel was asked about Waller’s week of practice and had this to say. We’re just trying to be smart. He’s going to be working football to the level of how many reps he gets in practice.” He said. “That’s what we adjust or just depending on really feedback, you go back and forth between moderation and full participation. After that practice and on Wednesday, and kind of the situations that we’re planning for him, we have a very well-planned high-low process so he will do less than he did the other day, but that level is finely, through a fine-tooth comb, trying to get him all the full-speed work at all the plays he’ll be participating in.” So, from the sound of that, he will be limited in his action on Monday if he plays at all. Without Waller’s presence, the team has been forced to turn to Julian Hill and Tanner Conner. To date, they have both been all but non-existent in the passing game. Hill has one catch for 4 yards on the season, and Conner isn’t much better with three receptions for 33 yards. The lack of production from the tight ends when it is obvious that you have a quarterback who likes getting the position involved in the passing game is extremely frustrating for fans. As is Waller’s inability to get onto the field. At a certain point, you begin to think about Odell Beckham Jr.’s lack of contribution last season or Or Will Fuller V’s short stint with the squad a few years ago. Both players, like Waller, who were brought in to help the passing game, rarely found the field, let alone the end zone. If Waller continues to miss time and the team continues to flounder, it will be yet another indictment of the decision-making of the franchise. You can follow me on YouTube @WickedGoodEverything and X @TheFakeBMarr
