Darren Waller, Giants would like to rewrite script
Darren Waller #12 of the New York Giants celebrates his second quarter touchdown reception against the Washington Commanders at MetLife Stadium on Sunday, Oct. 22, 2023 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Credit: Jim McIsaac
Darren Waller was supposed to be the explosive tight end add-on who would pair with Daniel Jones to give the Giants’ offense an exciting new dimension this season.
At least that’s what the Giants expected when they acquired Waller from the Raiders on March 14 in exchange for a 2023 third-round pick.
Like so much else with the Giants this season, it didn’t work out the way the club expected. Waller missed five games with a hamstring strain suffered in Week 8 against the Jets and was unable to return until Week 15 against the Saints.
Waller, 31, totaled six catches for 72 yards in the Giants’ two most recent games. For the season, he has 42 receptions for 456 yards and one lonely touchdown.
In his best seasons, 2019-20 with the Raiders, Waller totaled 197 catches, 2,341 yards and 12 touchdowns. That’s the player the Giants hoped they were getting, even though his stats tailed off in 2021-22 as Waller was bitten by the injury bug.
Waller, who signed a three-year, $51 million contract extension with Las Vegas in September 2022, found out about the trade to the Giants just after his honeymoon with WNBA star Kelsey Plum.
The honeymoon period for Waller in East Rutherford is over. He still wants to make it here, though, and thinks he can next season if he stays with the Giants.
“I mean, I’d love to be here,” he said on Friday as the Giants prepared to host the Rams on Sunday. “I’ve been around and I know that business-wise, people make decisions for certain reasons, so it’s like nothing’s ever guaranteed. But I plan on being here. I love being here.”
The possibility of the Giants having a dynamic offense with Jones handing off to Saquon Barkley and throwing to Waller was one of the reasons fans had high hopes going into the season.
Could they run it back next season if Barkley’s contract situation and Jones’ health don’t put up roadblocks?
“Absolutely. We feel like that’s still possible,” Waller said. “I still believe in the potential of this group.”
Giants coach Brian Daboll, asked if he’s seen the same explosiveness from Waller since before the injury, said only: “He’s done a good job this week. We’re getting ready to play the Rams here and focus really on this week, but he’s had a good week.”
The Raiders got frustrated with Waller’s injuries in his final two seasons in Las Vegas; he appeared in a total of 20 games. Waller understands he needs to stay healthy to be the force he was and write a different ending to what he thought was going to be a feel-good story.
“It’s just a matter of staying on the field,” he said. “When I’m out there and I’m running and I’m moving, I still feel like I can separate from people like I could four years ago. Still run at the same speeds. But it’s just the consistency of continuing to be out there. So just trying to figure it out.”
Anthony Rieber covers baseball, as well as the NFL, NBA and NHL. He has worked at Newsday since Aug. 31, 1998, and has been in his current position since July 5, 2004.
