It’s been a very active week for the New York Giants. First, they lost two of their best players in Saquon Barkley and Xavier McKinney in free agency. But they’ve also beefed up their offensive line by signing free agents Jon Runyan, Jermaine Eluemunor, Austin Schlottmann, and Aaron Stinnie.
They acquired a new starting running back in Devin Singletary and a new quarterback in Drew Lock, who will be Daniel Jones’ backup. But their biggest acquisition they made was pulling off a blockbuster trade to acquire Brian Burns.
However, it appears they may lose another key player as it’s been reported that tight end Darren Waller is contemplating retiring.
New York acquired Waller from the Raiders last offseason for a third-round pick. But Waller was hampered with hamstring issues that caused him to miss five games. Despite his injuries and a revolving door at the quarterback position, the 31-year-old tight end caught 52 passes which were second-most on the team for 552 yards and a touchdown.
Despite not living up to expectations last season, if Waller retires, it would be a blow to lose a productive playmaker. But the Giants might have a quick solution to finding a new starting tight end.
Daniel Bellinger
The Giants might have their new starting tight end in the building in third-year-pro Daniel Bellinger. As a rookie in 2022, Bellinger started 11 games and caught 30 out of his 35 targets for 268 yards and two touchdowns. He would miss over a month of action due to a fracture to his orbital bone but returned for the final five games of the season and caught a touchdown in New York’s 31-24 victory over the Minnesota Vikings in the Wild Card round.
With the addition of Waller last season, Bellinger was still efficient when he was on the field, catching 25 of his 28 targets for 255 yards. Now the 23-year-old tight end might be thrust into being the starter again if Waller decides to call it a career.
General manager Joe Schoen has faith in Bellinger which is why he took him with 112th overall pick. Now if given the opportunity, Bellinger has a chance to become a breakout player this coming season.
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Brock Bowers
Up until a week ago, it would seem inconceivable that New York would consider taking a tight end in the first round of the NFL Draft. However, with the recent news about Waller, taking a tight end might be something they consider.
The best tight end in this year’s draft is former Georgia Bulldog Brock Bowers. The 6-foot-4, 240-pound Bowers is seen by many as a can’t-miss NFL prospect. In his three seasons with the Bulldogs, he caught 175 passes for 2,538 yards and 26 touchdowns while helping the team win two National Championships.
He won the John Mackey Award in 2022 and 2023 and was a unanimous All-American in his final year. His speed, agility, and ability to break tackles make him a matchup nightmare for opposing defenses. He did have ankle surgery last year, but that is not expected to impact his draft status.
The Giants have the sixth overall pick and most mock drafts have Bowers still on the board. Some mock drafts have him falling out of the top 10, which leaves the door open to New York possibly trading back to acquire picks and take Bowers in the middle of the first round. New York lost one of their second-round picks (39th overall) in trading for Burns, so Schoen may want to try and acquire more draft capital while also acquiring one of the best prospects.
Of course, all of this could be moot if Waller decides not to retire. Sometimes veterans will contemplate retirement during the offseason before resuming their careers. But if Waller decides to retire, Bellinger and Bowers are two viable options.
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