The Miami Dolphins will finish their season in New England, where they will hope to avoid being swept by the Patriots for the first time since 2016. Miami head coach Mike McDaniel holds a 5-2 record against the Patriots. He’ll aim to avoid double-digit losses for the first time in his head coaching tenure.
The Patriots enter the game as one of the top teams in the NFL. They have won 12 out of their last 13 games, and possess a top-five offense and defense. They will also have reinforcements as the 2025 NFL Draft’s fourth overall pick Will Campbell will make his return from injury this Sunday. Meanwhile, the Dolphins rank outside the top 20 in both offense and defense.
Dolphins Get Brutal Injury Update
To make matters worse for the Dolphins, while the Patriots seem to be getting healthier, Miami will be without a key contributor. The Dolphins announced that tight end Darren Waller will be placed on Injured Reserve with a groin injury, which officially rules him out for Sunday and ends his season.
The former Pro Bowl tight end appeared in nine games for the Dolphins this season, in which he caught six touchdowns. Despite missing a large portion of the season, his six receiving touchdowns are tied for the team lead, alongside wide receiver Jaylen Waddle. The Dolphins acquired Darren Waller from the Giants in July via trade, after the team traded Pro Bowl tight end Jonnu Smith to Pittsburgh.
Waller had previously retired following the 2023 season and did not play in 2024. Before coming out of retirement, Waller stated that he would only consider coming out of retirement for former Raiders’ head coach Jon Gruden and his former tight end’s coach Frank Smith. Smith is the Dolphins offensive coordinator. Following the trade, the Dolphins agreed to a one-year $2 million deal with Waller, which means he’s set to be a free agent following the season.
Darren Waller’s Future
It remains to be seen whether the 33-year-old tight end will go back into retirement or if he’ll want to continue his playing career. Offensive coordinator Frank Smith’s future in Miami is still up in the air, as according to NFL Network’s Cameron Wolfe, Mike McDaniel’s future is currently undecided.
If McDaniel and Smith are retained, a reunion with Waller seems plausible as the tight end proved to be effective in the games he was available. NFL writer Armando Salguero argued against the idea of bringing Waller back as he said, “next [Dolphins] GM must run away from the longtime Miami habit of adding guys with extensive injury histories and expecting (hoping) they don’t get injured.”
Unfortunately for Waller, injuries are nothing new in his career. He has not played a full season since 2020, when he made the Pro Bowl and totaled 1,196 receiving yards. With the Dolphins, Waller’s 283 receiving yards marked his lowest total since 2018, but his six touchdowns proved the tight end can still be a dangerous red-zone threat.
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