Darren Waller defends Giants QB Daniel Jones

Darren Waller wasn’t the transformative pass-catching weapon for Daniel Jones that the New York Giants had hoped for last season when they traded for him. The now-retired Waller, though, is still doing what he can to support the beleaguered quarterback.

Waller said recently that the good football Jones played in 2022 while helping the Giants win their first playoff game since the 2011 Super Bowl is “definitely still in him.”

“I’m just excited for him to get another opportunity,” Waller said recently on SiriusXM NFL Radio. “I feel like he gets a bad rep. 2022, man, [he] played such good football. Last year was his first opportunity to get out there and play on the new bag that he got. It was tough for us as an offense to protect him, and you can’t put any quarterback back there and not have any protection and expect them to really, truly thrive in the pocket.

“[I’m] hoping that they can get those things shored up and allow him to have an opportunity to show that he is a talented dude, he’s very athletic, like get his opportunity to play the football that he was playing in 2022. I feel like that’s definitely still in him.”

The Giants no longer have Waller or running back Saquon Barkley. They have, though, spent significant financial resources to upgrade the offensive line, as well as drafting wide receiver Malik Nabers and signing solid veteran running back Devin Singletary.

Jones, returning from a torn ACL, is expected to be a participant on Wednesday when the Giants open 2024 training camp.

“I know him for a fact, he’s motivated and excited to get back out there, excited to lead,” Waller said. “That’s when you learn the most about dudes is responding to opportunities like this.”

Jones is facing a “prove-it” season as this is the final year of guaranteed money in his four-year, $160 million contract. He faced a similar “prove-it” situation in 2022 when the Giants could have moved on from him after the season. He responded with the best season of his career.

We will see if he can do it again.