The Tampa Bay Buccaneers managed just two touchdowns from their tight ends last season. It was as atrocious as it sounds. Oft-injured Darren Waller scored six touchdowns in nine games for the Miami Dolphins last season. We have to tread carefully when poking fun at the Carolina Panthers.
The Panthers and Waller agreed to a one-year deal on Wednesday in a move that few, if any, saw coming. Waller is a former Pro Bowl tight end, but that was six seasons ago. Since then, his career has been a rollercoaster of mistakes.
The Buccaneers may have TE question marks, but the Panthers may have one of the truly odd tight ends joining them for camp, if, of course, he can stay healthy.
Darren Waller joins Tampa Bay Buccaneers rival Carolina Panthers
A quick rundown of Waller's career is mind numbing, but it's all 100% true.
- Drafted in 2015 (6th round) by the Ravens
- Played just two seasons for the Ravens
- Suspended for the entire 2017 season for PED reasons
- Signed with the Raiders in 2018
- Made his first and only Pro Bowl in 2020
- Traded to the Giants in 2023 for a 3rd-round pick
- Abruptly retired after the 2023 season to pursue music
- Traded to the Dolphins in 2025
- Unretired to play for Miami
Despite scoring six TDs for the Dolphins last year, fans of the team were left with the memory of Waller and then head coach Mike McDaniel having an end-of-year talk when the Dolphins owner came in and fired the head coach.
It would seem as though Waller's career was over. It probably should be. The big "if" in all of this is his health. He missed six games in 2021, all but nine games in 2022, five games in 2023, and all but nine games last year. Maybe the Panthers think something has changed.
The good news for the Buccaneers is that if the Panthers do rely on Waller, he isn't that hard to cover at this stage of his career. He isn't a difference-maker on the field. In Miami, the TE spent more time on the sidelines than he did on the field.
Tampa can worry about their own tight end unit, but it's still o.k. to at least snicker at a rival for making one of the oddest signings two weeks into training camp. If the Panthers need Waller to carry a larger load of the offense, they are already behind the eight ball.
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