
Pat McAfee a fan of Dolphins' Darren Waller addition
The Miami Dolphins traded for former Pro Bowl tight end Darren Waller.
The 32-year-old didn't play football last season and is coming out of retirement to join the Dolphins. But, Waller has played exceptional football throughout his NFL career.
Waller's best two seasons both came with the Raiders in 2019 and in 2020. The Georgia Tech alum caught 90 passes for 1,145 yards and three scores in 2019 and then notched 107 catches for 1,196 yards and nine touchdowns in 2020. It was in 2020 when Waller earned his lone Pro Bowl nod.
Miami's move for Waller came swiftly on the heels of the franchise dealing away tight end Jonnu Smith to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
As the news of the Dolphins dealing for Waller made the rounds, ESPN's Pat McAfee praised the move by Miami.
"On the football field, when he was with Las Vegas and I believe before that, (Jon) Gruden pulled him up off of the Baltimore Ravens' practice squad. Jon Gruden, whenever the Raiders were taking on the Baltimore Ravens saw Darren Waller doing a workout pregame because he was on the practice squad and he said, 'What is that? I would like that.'
"Darren Waller would then become a Pro Bowler, All-Pro with the Raiders. Obviously, immensely athletic, incredibly talented. We've seen his life off the field a lot. We know a lot about Darren Waller. But, if (Mike) McDaniel can get the most out of Darren Waller, I think that type of offense suits well for Darren personally. Now, is he all the way back to being a guy? We shall see," McAfee said.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
34 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Super Bowl 60 odds: One bettor will win $2.5 million if Las Vegas Raiders win Super Bowl LX
The Las Vegas Raiders haven't won a playoff game since 2003, but one bettor is hoping for a playoff berth — and much, much more — this season from the Silver and Black. A bettor at DraftKings placed a $25,000 wager on the Raiders to win Super Bowl LX at 100-1 odds on April 9. The wager would win $2.5 million if Las Vegas wins the franchise's first Super Bowl since 1984. Advertisement The Raiders underwent several big changes this offseason, including hiring Pete Carroll as head coach to replace Antonio Pierce, trading for QB Geno Smith and drafting Ashton Jeanty No. 6 overall to be their starting running back. Even with those acquisitions, the Raiders still reside in a difficult AFC West that has been won by the Kansas City Chiefs in an astonishing nine straight seasons. Las Vegas has a win total of 7.5 at BetMGM, the worst odds to win the AFC West (12-1) and the fourth-worst playoff odds of any AFC team at +310. In other words, the Raiders have a tall task to make the postseason, let alone make it to — and win — Super Bowl LX in Santa Clara in February. Las Vegas currently has 125-1 odds to win the Super Bowl at BetMGM. The Raiders open the season as three-point road underdogs at the New England Patriots in Week 1 on Sunday, Sept. 7.


Fox News
37 minutes ago
- Fox News
Former NFL star Asante Samuel Sr unleashes on Dolphins, questions team's leadership after Jalen Ramsey trade
Asante Samuel Sr. spent the majority of his NFL career with the New England Patriots. His son, Asante Samuel Jr., spent the first four years of his professional football career with the Los Angeles Chargers. The younger Samuel is currently listed as an NFL free agent. The Miami Dolphins recently sent three-time All-Pro defensive back Jalen Ramsey to the Pittsburgh Steelers and could be looking to bolster their cornerback room. But the elder Samuel's recent scathing comments on the state of the Dolphins franchise could put a damper on the possibility of his son landing in South Florida. From Samuel Sr.'s point of view, the Dolphins organization suffers from deficiencies from the top down. He shared his sentiments about the franchise during a recent appearance on his "Say What Needs To Be Said" podcast as he reacted to the trade that sent Ramsey and tight end Jonnu Smith to Pittsburgh. The Dolphins did acquire safety Minkah Fitzpatrick in exchange for Ramsey and Smith. Both teams also traded draft picks as part of the deal. "The Dolphins had no reason to trade Jalen Ramsey other than they're sensitive. There's no leadership in the Dolphins organization," Samuel asserted. "[Head coach] Mike McDaniel is a pushover. Chris Grier, the general manager — he has no backbone. These guys over here, the Miami Dolphins, they are running this team like a little league team. No one can stand up to the players. They are terrified of their own players, and they have no control over their players." The Sun Sentinel reported that Ramsey was tardy to team meetings and practice sessions on a routine basis during his tenure with the Dolphins. In 2023, the star cornerback also reportedly clashed with Vic Fangio — the Dolphins defensive coordinator at the time. "He became a symbol of the Dolphins just collecting talent rather than building a team," the report from June stated. "Ramsey and Tyreek Hill were constantly late for practices or meetings in a manner that set the culture of last year's Dolphins." While the Dolphins have had some regular-season success under McDaniel, he has yet to guide the team to a postseason victory. The Dolphins' last playoff victory came in 2000. Ramsey is credited with 24 career interceptions. He will join a cornerback room in Pittsburgh that features Darius Slay Jr. and Joey Porter Jr. Follow Fox News Digital's sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.


USA Today
an hour ago
- USA Today
Christian Wilkins's injury has coaches and execs snub the Raiders DT from list of NFL best
This time a year ago, Christian Wilkins had just signed a mega deal with the raiders and NFL executives and coaches roundly considered him one of the best interior defensive linemen in all of football. Their opinions of him landed him in the six spot on ESPN's ranking of the league's top ten best DT's. Wilkins put up nine sacks and 23 QB hits in 2023, and hit the market as the league's top free agent. The Raiders had a big need at the position and they landed him on a four-yeard $110 million deal to team up with Pro Bowl edge rusher Maxx Crosby. Just five games into last season, Wilkins was lost to a jones fracture in his left foot and never returned. And his absence from the NFL most of last season has caused his absence from the minds of NFL execs and coaches. This year's list of the NFL's top ten DTs didn't have him on it. Wilkins topped the list of Honorable Mentions, with one NFL coordinator saying of Wilkins "I know he's hurt, but I love this guy. Absolutely a top interior player when healthy." The injury has lingered for Wilkins, who has missed the entire offseason so far. The team is hoping he will be back to full health come training camp and return to his. 2023 form this season. At which point perhaps Wilkins can remind these unnamed execs and coaches of what he is capable.