Darren Waller should provide Giants' offense with explosiveness
Darren Waller of the Raiders scores a touchdown against Talanoa Hufanga of the 49ers during the first quarter at Allegiant Stadium on Jan. 1 in Las Vegas. Credit: Getty Images/Ethan Miller
Darren Waller instantly changes life for the Giants.
For Daniel Jones.
For offensive coordinator Mike Kafka.
For coach Brian Daboll.
For every other pass-catcher on the team. Heck, for every player on offense.
Wide receiver Parris Campbell, at least the healthy, 2022 version, could continue to be rejuvenated.
And former Tampa Bay defensive tackle Rakeem Nunez-Roches — a character with the nickname “Nacho’’ who might emerge as a fan favorite — could be the versatile kind of chess piece that Wink Martindale didn’t exactly have but could have used on the 2022 defense. And in former Colt Bobby Okereke, Martindale has a new linebacker, too.
It can be unwise to draw conclusions during free agency. There are too many variables. There are, inevitably, injuries. And there are miscalculations that unveil themselves over time.
But on the surface, the Giants appear to have done well, particularly when it comes to trading that 100th pick in April’s draft to the Raiders for Waller, the tight end whose humility was on full display on a Zoom call with the media this week.
“I feel like I’m just a football player,” Waller said when he was introduced on Wednesday. “I’ll line up out wide. I’ll line up in the slot. I’ll line up in line. 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. That’s what I plan on doing here.”
Waller’s humility is admirable. And he very well may be a willing blocker. But at 6-6, 255 pounds, Waller is the kind of weapon Jones hasn’t had, particularly in the red zone. The Giants will want him to be his playmaking self. In his best seasons, in 2019 and 2020, Waller caught a combined 197 passes for 2,341 yards and 12 touchdowns.
There is a scenario, of course, in which Waller becomes Jones’ favorite target.
During the 2022 regular season, every NFL playoff team got at least 16 touchdown passes from its primary quarterback . . . except the Giants.
Jones threw 15 TD passes last season. Jimmy Garoppolo of the 49ers had 16 in 11 games before his season was cut short by injury. Patrick Mahomes’ 41 TD passes led the NFL (of course they did). The Eagles’ Jalen Hurts had 22.
There are, of course, different ways to reach the Super Bowl. But in today’s NFL, having an explosive offense is a must.
For all of the strides the Giants made last season under general manager Joe Schoen and Daboll, they could not invent what was not there. The Giants finished last in the league in 2022 in explosive pass plays (20 yards or more).
With the addition of Waller, that should change. And when Waller draws double-teams, the Giants’ offense as currently constructed should be able to find an open playmaker.
“It’s just an exciting brand of football,” Waller said, “and you can tell [that Daboll] is really empowering players.”
Waller said he sees talent in the Giants’ tight ends group and also at receiver.
“They’re making clutch plays in clutch moments,” he said. “I’m excited to just be in the mix and be a part of what this offense is going to try to do.”
The Giants need him.
Campbell, of course, could help in that regard, too.
After battling years of injuries, he was productive in 2022, playing in all 17 games (16 starts) and catching 63 passes for 623 yards and three touchdowns.
Campbell had three catches for a team-high 52 yards, including a 49-yarder, when the Colts lost to the Giants at MetLife Stadium on Jan. 1 last season. His biggest accomplishment in 2022 was staying healthy all season.
“Being able to play a full 17 [games], that’s all I ever wanted to do,” he said after signing with the Giants. “Just given the history of my career, that’s all I ever wanted to do. So being able to do that, I was blessed, grateful.
“The injuries that I had, it was things that were just freak accidents. You couldn’t really draw it up. They weren’t avoidable to me. They were things that happened and just had some bad luck. Like I said, was able to play all 17 last year, so I was extremely blessed.”
Kimberly Jones covers the Giants for Newsday, a beat she first worked in the early 2000s before joining the YES Network to cover the Yankees. She worked for the NFL Network for more than a decade and has been heard semi-regularly on WFAN.
