Darren Waller making quick acclimation as potential top target with Giants

It was only a 7-on-7 drill, with the players in shorts and no pads, but it was enough for all of Darren Waller's new teammates to take notice. He took off down the sideline, outraced his double coverage, and made a leaping catch over the two cornerbacks' hands.

That was a welcome sight for a Giants team that didn't — and couldn't — embrace the deep pass last season, that didn't really have a weapon in the passing game that scared opposing teams. They think they do now in Waller, the 6-foot-6, 245-pound tight end.

And that catch in their otherwise uneventful spring practice on Thursday was of sign of what they believe he can do.

"He can do a lot," said Giants quarterback Daniel Jones. "He's obviously a tough matchup for people, for defenses, with a guy who can run like that with that kind of size. He definitely gives something for a defense to worry about or to game plan for. And we can move him around and put him in different spots. Just a super versatile player."

"He's one of the best tight ends in the league," added safety Xavier McKinney. "You can feel his presence. You've got to be aware of where he's at."

All that is why the Giants are so excited about their offseason deal for Waller, and why they traded a third-round pick to the Las Vegas Raiders in mid-March to get him. He has shown he can be the kind of elite passing game weapon the Giants haven't really had since they traded away Odell Beckham four years ago. And with his size, power and speed Waller has the potential to be a headache for defensive coordinators because of the mismatches he can create.

"You hear about most guys or you see them in the program and they're listed at 6-6, but they're really like 6-4 or 6-5," Jones said. "He's a true 6-6. He's a true 250-260 (Waller is actually listed at 245), and can fly, can run, can run all the routes."

There is a risk, of course, to putting so much hope into Waller. He'll be 31 years old in September and he's coming off two injury-plagued seasons. Two years ago it was back, ankle and knee injuries that limited him to just 11 games. Last year it was a hamstring injury that caused him to miss eight games. Those injuries don't often get better or less frequent for a player entering his ninth NFL season.

So no one is really sure if he can still be the player he once was.

Waller understands that. That's why he's viewing this season as something of a rebirth — a chance to do what he does best and start enjoying it again.

"I view this season as an opportunity to get back to having fun and just being available for my teammates every and each week," he said. "That's something I haven't been able to do the last couple years, and I'm fully aware of that. I'm doing everything in my control to be able to be out there and be accountable, be reliable, by just being out there every day. I'm excited about that challenge. I've done it before, and I'm ready to do it again."

If he can do it again he could transform the Giants, because a healthier, happier Waller was once a heck of a player. And it really wasn't even all that long ago. He had 90 catches for 1,145 yards and three touchdowns for the Oakland Raiders in 2019. And he was even better the next season when they moved to Las Vegas, catching 107 passes for 1,196 yards and nine touchdowns.

The Giants have never had that kind of production out of the tight end spot. They haven't even come close in the 15 years since Jeremy Shockey left town. Last year, the position was a black hole. The best they got was 30 catches and 268 yards from rookie Daniel Bellinger in the 12 games he played.

Waller, though, is another level of talent. And he's likely to be more than just a tight end for the Giants, too. He could end up as the No. 1 option in the passing game for Jones in an offense that only marginally upgraded their receiving corps during the offseason. They drafted the speedy Jalin Hyatt in the third round of this year's draft and signed veterans Parris Campbell and Jameson Crowder, while crossing their fingers that Sterling Shepard and Wan'Dale Robinson can make healthy returns. If everything works perfectly, the receiving corps could be decent.

But a healthy Waller would be the cream of that crop.

"He's able to make plays inside, outside, against the corner, against the safety — it doesn't matter," McKinney said. "It's fun to go out there and compete with him every day. It's just been fun to have him, see him make plays."

Plays like that catch over corners Darnay Holmes and Adoree' Jackson down the sideline, and another deep pass he caught in the practice on Thursday. It was just an early taste, but it was exactly what has been missing from the Giants' pop-gun offense the last few seasons — big plays made downfield by a player creating a mismatch. They think they have an elite quarterback in Jones, and now they think he will finally be throwing to an elite target.

Waller could change everything about this Giants' offense by giving them a big-play, downfield dimension they haven't had in a very long time.

Ralph Vacchiano is the NFC East reporter for FOX Sports, covering the Washington Commanders, Philadelphia Eagles and New York Giants. He spent the previous six years covering the Giants and Jets for SNY TV in New York, and before that, 16 years covering the Giants and the NFL for the New York Daily News. Follow him Twitter at @RalphVacchiano.