For all of the talk about Derek Carr, Antonio Brown, Josh Jacobs, and the rest of the shiny toys on what should be an improved Oakland Raiders offense, one name that has not been discussed all that much is tight end, Darren Waller.
Well, not in casual circles, anyway.
There are some Raiders fans who have relatively high expectations for Waller heading into 2019 even though he has a very, very limited NFL track record due to drug-related suspensions.
And it's easy to see why.
Waller is a freakish athlete, possessing an incredible combination of size (6-foot-6) and speed that most tight ends in the history of the league could only dream of having.
There has also been some chatter about how impressive Waller looked in training camp, so he could be in for a big season, especially in an offense in which he will now be the lead tight end after the departure of Jared Cook.
So it's only natural to think that Waller will be the main X-factor in Oakland's Week 1 matchup against the Denver Broncos on Monday night.
Waller caught just six passes for 75 yards last season and has only logged 18 catches for 178 yards and a couple of touchdowns in his NFL career, so, again, there isn't much of a track record here.
But what we do know is that Waller has incredible talent and potential.
Most of the attention will be on Brown in this game. The Broncos will do whatever they can do take him away, which will include shading him with Pro Bow cornerback Chris Harris and providing safety help over the top.
That should open up Tyrell Williams, another one of the Raiders' significant offseason additions who will unquestionably be the club's No. 2 receiver this year.
It will also make things easier for Waller, who needs to get his feet wet with a solid performance in Week 1 to set the tone for him for the remainder of the season.
Keep this in mind: both Brown and Williams are deep threats, so that should open the middle of the field up for Waller, which could lead to some easy completions between Carr and the tight end.
With the Raiders also not having an established ground game, they will probably be airing the ball out quite a bit this year, and that may very well be on display in their season opener.
It should be noted that the Broncos have a pretty good defense, so this isn't exactly an easy Week 1 matchup for Oakland, but that's why it may take an X-factor performance from someone like Waller for the Raiders to win this game.
Carr used his tight end an awful lot in 2018, as Cook hauled in 68 receptions for 896 yards and six scores.
Of course, that was with Oakland having virtually no other weapons in the passing game, especially after it traded Amari Cooper midseason, but it does serve as an indication that Jon Gruden and Carr like utilizing their tight ends, and Waller will be that guy in 2019.
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