The New York Giants' trade for Las Vegas Raiders tight end Darren Waller became official, and Waller spoke to the media about his goals with his new team.
“For me, number one, the growth starts with just being available as much as possible for the team,” Waller said, via Patricia Traina of Giants Country.
That would certainly be a good step for Darren Waller, who has played in 20 out of 34 games in the last two seasons, 11 in 2021 and nine in 2022. Waller was one of the top receiving tight ends in football in the 2019 and 2020 seasons. He still showed that talent when he was on the field in the last two seasons, but has struggled with nagging injuries. Waller is the best receiving weapon the Giants have as of now, so him staying on the field would greatly help Daniel Jones.
Waller said he would do whatever the team needs him to do to succeed.
“I feel like I'm just a football player,” Waller said, via Traina. “I'll line up out wide. I'll line up in the slot. I'll line up inline. I'll block–I'll crack the end if you want me to. Whatever you ask me to do, I feel like I can do it at a high level, and that's what I plan on doing here.”
Waller has played all sorts of roles in his NFL career. He came into the league as a wide receiver with the Baltimore Ravens in 2015, but struggled with substance abuse issues. He overcame that addiction and founded the Darren Waller Foundation in 2020.
Waller converted to tight end in 2019, his second year with the Raiders, which led to his breakout season. He had over 1100 receiving yards in 2019 and 2020 according to Pro Football Reference.
The Giants will likely try to add more weapons, but as of now Waller is the best weapon they have on paper. With the Giants committing to a long-term contract with Daniel Jones, acquiring Waller is an attempt to surround the quarterback with weapons he has not had before in his career.
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