The New York Giants’ decision to trade for star tight end Darren Waller was among the most consequential moves made to this point in the 2023 offseason.
In Waller, the Giants have found a legitimate big-play threat who can take the field on all three downs and wreak havoc on opposing safeties and linebackers with his lanky frame and elite quickness.
Second-year offensive coordinator Mike Kafka is no stranger to having an elite tight end to feed over the middle after his time coaching the Kansas City Chiefs, who hosted the league’s preeminent player at the position in Travis Kelce.
While Waller may not be quite on Kelce’s level heading into his seventh professional season, his skillset presents plenty of predicaments for defenses tasked with defending him.
Fans should expect Kafka to take a page out of Andy Reid’s playbook to utilize Waller both as a tight end and receiver on passing downs. Waller’s tremendous size will make him a mismatch on smaller defenders if he lines up out wide, and could give quarterback Daniel Jones more options with his pre-snap reads if Kafka commits to setting his tight end in motion with regularity.
This has proven to be a highly-effective strategy for the Chiefs in recent seasons and has played a significant role in Patrick Mahomes’ ability to put together MVP-caliber seasons under center with the defending Super Bowl champions.
If Kafka can parlay his experience with Kelce into creative game planning for Waller in this new-look New York offense, the Giants’ newest pass-catcher should have no problem getting his career back on track in The Big Apple.
