Saints' Cam Jordan casts doubt on Darren Waller replacing Jonnu Smith at Dolphins after unretiring

The Miami Dolphins made an intriguing move by trading tight end Jonnu Smith to the Pittsburgh Steelers and then trading for Darren Waller to replace him.

Waller had been retired, so the move came as a surprise, as he's ending his year-long retirement to return to play for the Dolphins.

After the move was made, New Orleans Saints pass rusher Cam Jordan made his thoughts clear as he doesn't expect Waller to have much success.

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"One out, one in huh? I mean, I don't think you can replace a young gun like Jonnu Smith," Jordan said on Nightcap.

As part of the trade, Waller will play the year on a one-year deal, which is very incentive-based, so it is a low-risk move for Miami. But Jordan doesn't understand why the team traded Smith away.

Last season with the Dolphins, Smith recorded 88 receptions for 884 yards and 8 touchdowns, which was the 29-year-old's best year of his NFL career.

Jordan, meanwhile, is entering his 15th NFL season, all with the Saints. Last season, he recorded 34 tackles and 4 sacks.

Darren Waller explains why he retired

Darren Waller announced his retirement from the NFL on June 9, 2024, and did not play the entire 2024 NFL season.

Just before the trade happened, Waller opened up on his retirement and explained why he decided to hand up the cleats.

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“It was in the first quarter of the game,” Waller said, via SI. “We were running like this counter-lead running play, and I’m kind of like leading through the hole like I’m a fullback. And the play is working, but I sit down on the sideline after a drive where we ran it three times and I’m like, ‘What the f--- am I doing with my life? I’m out here playing fullback. I don’t even want to do this s--- anymore.’”

Waller finished the 2023 NFL season with 52 receptions for 552 yards and 1 touchdown, as he dealt with injuries in 2023.

Waller will enter the 2025 NFL season as the Dolphins' starting tight end and will be a focal point of the offense. He joins the likes of Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle as pass-catching options.

Waller will make his return to the NFL on Sept. 7 on the road against the Indianapolis Colts.

About the author

Cole is an NHL, NFL and College Sports reporter at Sportskeeda with over 7 years of experience writing for publications like CBC, USA Today, SMG, BJPENN, Sherdog and SB Nation.

An NHL fan his whole life, Cole played rep hockey in Canada from age 5 until 17 and grew up rooting for Martin St. Louis and the Tampa Bay Lightning. His all-time favorite players are Vincent Lecavalier and Steven Stamkos, while Jon Cooper is his favorite coach of all time.

Cole attended Sheridan College and received his journalism degree in 2019. After decades of watching and reporting, he considers his knowledge of sports as his primary strength. He ensures that the same story has been reported by at least two reputed reporters before creating it.

Cole enjoys playing golf and spending time with friends and family when not reporting breaking stories. His favorite sports moment is from the 2010 Olympics, when Sidney Crosby scored the golden goal in overtime to beat Team USA for the gold medal.

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Edited by Cole Shelton