New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones made waves with his candid assessment of the Las Vegas Raiders’ new roster addition tight end Darren Waller.
After returning from honeymoon with his wife and WNBA star Kelsey Plum in March, Waller was puzzled to hear the Raiders traded him to the Giants.
The 30-year-old opened up to the New York media following the trade saying,” I did not see this coming. I was getting ready to just do everything I could to make myself available for the Raiders and get ready for everything that was going to start in mid-April. It caught me off guard, but it’s the nature of the business.”
What did Daniel Jones say about the Giants’ new TE Darren Waller?
After the end of the first day of OTA on Monday, the Giants veteran QB Daniel Jones opened up to the media about the impact new TE Darren Waller can provide to their offense saying the team might undergo a lot of troubles to adapt Waller with the team, citing him as a “clear mismatch”.
“He’s a clear mismatch, someone the defense has to worry about how they are going to account for him, how they are going to cover him, who they are going to put on him and how they are going to play it,” Jones said via MSG Networks’ Madelyn Burke.
The Giants QB further explained the reasons behind his statements saying Darren’s addition just adds an element to their attack.
“I think that just adds an element to our attack and gives the defense something else to worry about when you have a guy that big and that strong who can move like he can and open up the field”, he added.
The Giants squad will witness many changes this offseason and Jones expressed his pleasure in working with any new players despite the adaptation process taking time.
“It takes time in the film room, in classroom talking, getting on the same page with our pre-snap IDs and protections and in the run game, too. Then time on the field in kind of a more game-like situation where you’re actually going through it and you’re communicating and working on the center, quarterback exchange and all those pieces there. It just takes time, and I’m excited for each of those guys who could be stepping in. We will put in the work and make sure we’re ready to go”, the QB said.
Waller generated two consecutive 1,100-yard seasons in 2019 and 2020, leading him to own a Pro Bowl bid in 2020, albeit in 2022 he appeared in just nine games due to never-ending injuries.
Despite being surrounded by injury-plagued pass-catching groups, the 30-year-old’s addition to the Giants roster may strengthen the team’s performance as the 6-6 255-pound has become one of the NFL’s most dominant tight ends, holding the records of 280 receptions for 3,394 receiving yards, and 17 touchdowns throughout his past four seasons in the league. If Waller can return to his earlier form and stay on the field, he would give Jones a vertical threat at tight end.
As the Giants gear up to face the Raiders, all eyes will be on how their defense plans to handle the dynamic threat that Waller presents. Jones’ comments have certainly added an extra layer of intrigue to the potential showdown.
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