Following his rookie season, tight end Daniel Bollinger had the looks of being a steal in the draft for the New York Giants. However, Bellinger knew he would see a decreased role when the team acquired Darren Waller last offseason.
Interestingly enough, the Giants actually tried to add another big name in Rob Gronkowski but were unsuccessful in luring Gronk out of retirement.
With Waller now one and done with the Giants after announcing his retirement, Bellinger is ready to step up and do whatever the team needs him to do moving forward without Waller:
“Whatever they need me to do, I’m going to do,” Bellinger told reporters on Tuesday when asked about his role. “That’s probably a question for them. I’m just going to do anything they want me to do. They want me to stick my head in the dirt, go out, and catch a pass; I’m going to do what they need me to do.”
After showing up to minicamp bulked up last year, Bellinger has his sights set on working on other things this offseason.
“This year I’ve been focusing on route running stuff more,” he said. “Of course, I needed to step up in every area of my game. I’ve been focusing on the pass side of the game, taking strides that way, and taking steps in the run game.”
Waller’s retirement surprised nobody and the Giants were fully prepared, which is likely a big reason why they took Theo Johnson in the fourth round of this year’s draft.
With Waller and Saquon Barkley no longer on the team, there should be plenty of targets to go around.
The Giants are hopeful Bellinger builds off the success of his rookie year and takes on a big offensive role in 2024.
