Darren Waller’s Dolphins debut put him in one of the most exclusive NFL tight end clubs while confirming his status as a badly needed red-zone weapon
The Darren Waller experiment was off to a slow start…but the wait was worth it as Waller joins a very select club.
The wait was worth it for the Miami Dolphins.
The speculation around the Dolphins’ decision at tight end to embrace Darren Waller as a legitimate replacement for Jonnu Smith this offseason was plentiful. And after Waller missed the first three games of the season, there was a lot of angst, too. But those feelings and emotions have subsided thanks to a prolific and productive debut for Waller on the national stage.
Waller finished his first game as a member of the Miami Dolphins with three catches for 27 yards and two touchdowns, helping Miami prevail over the New York Jets by a final score of 27-21 on Monday Night Football. It was surreal. And it also puts Darren Waller among the members of an extremely exclusive club.
Dolphins tight end Darren Waller joined a highly exclusive tight end club with his debut for Miami
Waller becomes just the third tight end since the AFL/NFL merger in 1970 to achieve three or more catches and two touchdowns in his debut with a team, according to Greg Harvey. The feat was most recently achieved by Jared Cook with the Rams in 2013, in a season in which Cook wouldl post 51 receptions for 651 yards and 5 touchdowns after coming to St. Louis after four seasons in Tennessee with the Titans. Cook had 7 receptions for 141 yards and two touchdowns in his season debut against the Cardinals.
Alex Smith (no, not the quarterback) did it 20 years ago as well, posting four receptions for 34 yards and two touchdowns in the first game of his NFL career with Tampa Bay. The Bucs would go on to beat the Minnesota Vikings 24-13 and Smith would finish his rookie season with 41 receptions, 367 yards and only those two touchdowns.
Notable tight ends Darren Waller outscored with his two touchdown performance
- Darren Waller in 2023 with the New York Giants: 1 receiving touchdown
- Jonnu Smith in 2025 with the Pittsburgh Steelers: 1 receiving touchdown
- The entire 2023 Miami Dolphins tight end room: 0 receiving touchdowns
The production baseline for Waller would be good on either end of the spectrum. Miami doesn’t need to run 100 targets through the tight end position, although those targets are most certainly now available if needed due to Tyreek Hill’s season-ending knee injury.
But Waller should be considered a selective weapon in the passing game, not a high-volume target workhorse. Four to six targets a game should yield productive opportunities and allow him to potentially put up more games with multiple scores — because the early chemistry with Tua Tagovailoa was a jarring and pleasant surprise. He’ll need to stay on the field to create that kind of production and the best way to ensure that is to not overuse him.