As if things weren't going badly enough for the Miami Dolphins, they're looking at the possibility of another significant setback for their offense.
Tight end Darren Waller, one of the bright spots with four touchdowns in his first three games back from retirement this season, left the team's loss against the Cleveland Browns on Sunday with a pec injury and will undergo an MRI on Monday to determine the severity of the injury.
The game against Cleveland marked the first time that Waller failed to score a touchdown.
The injury is a pec strain, Waller's agent Drew Rosenhaus told South Florida TV reporter Josh Moser, but if it's torn it likely would be a season-ending injury.
Drew Rosenhaus says his Dolphins client, Darren Waller suffered a, “pec strain,” in the loss to the Browns. He will
— Josh Moser (@TheMozKnowz) October 20, 2025
undergo an MRI Monday morning. If it’s torn, it could be a season-ending injury. Hoping for clean imaging and good news. #phinsup pic.twitter.com/vjr8FTVP8b
Before he left the game, Waller wasn't targeted even once against the Browns as the passing game pretty much was limited to passes around the line of scrimmage.
If the worst-case scenario materializes, one would have to wonder about Waller's future, both with the Dolphins and in the NFL.
Remember that Waller unretired after being acquired in a trade with the New York Giants and has made the comment that he only was going to come back to play for one of two people — former Las Vegas Raiders head coach Jon Gruden and current Dolphins offensive coordinator Frank Smith. Well, Gruden isn't in the NFL right now and who knows what's going to happen with Smith considering the shaky job security of head coach Mike McDaniel.
Losing Waller for any amount of time would be a big blow to the Dolphins offense, which had its worst performance of the season in the loss at Cleveland.
The Dolphins already have lost their most dynamic playmaker with Tyreek Hill on IR with his knee injury, and have played without two starting offensive linemen since Week 1 after guard James Daniels and tackle Austin Jackson were injured.
We should point out here that Daniels, like Waller, sustained a pec injury. He has been eligible — just like Jackson and kicker Jason Sanders — to come off injured reserve for a couple of weeks now, but has yet to return to practice.
Waller is one of only three tight ends on the 53-man roster along with Julian Hill and Tanner Conner, and it also should be noted that Hill sustained a leg injury in the fourth quarter of the Cleveland game.
The Dolphins also have Hayden Rucci and Greg Dulcich on the practice squad.
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