The New York Giants’ tight end room took a hit this offseason as a result of Darren Waller’s retirement. Last offseason’s splash acquisition spent much of the 2023 season on the sideline before announcing he is hanging up the cleats this spring.
The Giants’ offense faced high expectations going into last year with Waller projected to serve as Daniel Jones’s top playmaker in the passing game. Unfortunately, both Waller and Jones struggled with injuries. An ACL tear in Week 9 ended Jones’s season prematurely and he has since been on the road to recovery.
Jones is surrounded with question marks heading into this year. He has his doubters — some of which seem to be within the organization’s building. But Waller still feels confident in his quarterback’s abilities, even though he won’t be on the field with him this season.
Giants: Darren Waller is still confident in Daniel Jones
While doing a guest appearance on SiriusXM NFL Radio, Waller gave his thoughts on Jones entering this season, sharing his confidence in his former quarterback as he embarks on a comeback campaign:
“I’m just excited for him to get another opportunity,” Waller said recently on SiriusXM NFL Radio (h/t NFL.com). “I feel like he gets a bad rep. 2022, man, [he] played such good football. Last year was his first opportunity to get out there and play on the new bag that he got. It was tough for us as an offense to protect him, and you can’t put any quarterback back there and not have any protection and expect them to really, truly thrive in the pocket.
“[I’m] hoping that they can get those things shored up and allow him to have an opportunity to show that he is a talented dude, he’s very athletic, like get his opportunity to play the football that he was playing in 2022. I feel like that’s definitely still in him.”
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Waller brings up some valid points. The Giants did struggle to protect Jones (and all three of the quarterbacks who made starts) last season. They surrendered a league-high 85 sacks on the campaign — the most by any team since 1997.
He also was smart to highlight the success Jones and the Giants’ offense had in 2022. That season, Jones contributed a combined 22 touchdowns through the air and the ground while totaling career-highs with 3,205 passing yards and 708 rushing yards. Jones established himself as a dual-threat quarterback and received a massive contract last offseason.
The Giants finished the 2022-23 season with a 9-7-1 record and went on to win their first postseason game in over a decade thanks to the efficiency and high level of play that Jones provided. If Danny Dimes can get back to playing at that level this season, the Giants’ offense should be able to generate more points and the team should win more games.
