The New York Giants’ biggest splash of the offseason came when they acquired tight end Darren Waller from the Las Vegas Raiders.
When healthy, Waller is one of the league’s best at his position and the Giants have high hopes that he’ll help lift their offense. Big Blue needed to add a premier weapon and Waller certainly fits that bill. However, not everyone is buying in on the hype.
Count Greg Cosell among those who are a believer. He was recently a guest on the Ross Tucker Podcast and talked about how much of a difference-maker Waller can be for the Giants.
This explanation of why Darren Waller is so important to the Giants offense is why @GregCosell is a living legend: pic.twitter.com/iDiGsfwcsJ
— Ross Tucker Podcast (@RossTuckerPod) June 17, 2023
“Waller is one of those guys. I mean, one of the things in conversations I’ve had over the last number of years with a lot of offensive coaches in the league and even a lot of receivers coaches as well, is the importance of a tight end that can line up as that boundary X,” Cosell said. “That single receiver to the short side of the field because that very often dictates pre-snap looks and it allows the quarterback to understand what the defense is going to do before the snap of the ball.
“And that’s always what you’re trying to do with your quarterback — give him as much information possible through the use of personnel and formation before the ball is snapped.”
Daniel Jones has already noticed how much of a mismatch Waller can be and the hope is that the Jones/Waller duo becomes one of the league’s best in 2023.
However productive Waller may be, as Cosell notes, his value pre-snap could help raise Jones’ game significantly. DJ is an extremely intelligent player and if he’s better able to read the defense, his numbers could skyrocket.
