ESPN grades Dolphins' deal for TE Darren Waller from Giants

It took all of one day for the Miami Dolphins to fill the vacancy at tight end that Jonnu Smith's trade to Pittsburgh left.

The Dolphins executed a trade with the New York Giants to bring Darren Waller out of retirement and to South Beach on a one-year deal that's reportedly worth up to $5 million. Miami sent a 2026 sixth-round pick to New York in exchange for Waller and a conditional 2027 seventh-round pick.

ESPN's Seth Walder broke down some of his thoughts on the move for Miami, handing out a "B+" grade for the Dolphins' trade.

My simple takeaway here: Why not?...

While Miami surely hopes that Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle receive a higher share of the targets this season, the team needs a tight end to be another receiving option for QB Tua Tagovailoa.

Waller, perhaps, could be that. I would certainly temper any major expectations here. Waller is 32 and has been out of the game for a year. The last time he recorded at least 700 receiving yards in a season was in 2020 with the Raiders. But he could easily be the best receiving tight end the Dolphins have, and that's worth something.

Miami also didn't have to give up much to get Waller. This was just a very late-round pick swap and a deal worth up to $5 million. So we'll see what the real money ends up being, but it will likely be lower than that. For the Giants, this is found money under the couch cushion. It's not much, but it's better than nothing. - Seth Walder, ESPN

Walder is right. Ultimately, it's a win-win for both.

The Dolphins didn't give up much at all, but Miami also might have found its most productive tight end for the 2025 season with this move.

Though Waller has been out of football for a year and retired after citing a health scare he suffered in November of 2023, the upside could be great for the Dolphins.

Waller has eclipsed the 1,000-yard receiving mark twice in his NFL career. Both of those instances came with the Raiders during the 2019 and 2020 seasons. They also came alongside current Dolphins offensive coordinator Frank Smith, who served as the Raiders' tight ends coach from 2018-20.

This article originally appeared on Dolphins Wire: ESPN grades Dolphins' deal for TE Darren Waller from Giants