Giants’ Darren Waller could be out ‘a little bit’ due to hamstring injury, may miss Raiders revenge game

Darren Waller may not be able to exact revenge on his former Raiders squad when the Giants travel to Las Vegas for their Week 9 matchup on Sunday. New York’s tight end is dealing with another hamstring injury which is expected to keep him out for, as he put it, “a little bit.” Given that characterization, it sounds like Waller could be put on the shelf not just for this game against the Raiders, but potentially the team’s Week 10 matchup against Dallas as well. 

Waller initially injured his hamstring the week prior against Washington and aggravated it during Sunday’s loss to the Jets. After undergoing an MRI, he told reporters that the injury is “pretty much the same” in terms of severity as the left hamstring injury that limited him to nine games for Las Vegas in 2022. 

“It’s very frustrating, a little bit discouraging, like any human being would be in my position,” he said, via NJ.com. “But I’m no stranger to tough hands and tough circumstances, so I’m not one that’s going to fold up right here. I’m going to do whatever I can. And however much time I get left with this team this season, I’m going to give it all I’ve got.”

Waller did note that one of the key reasons he missed so much time due to his hamstring injury last year was because he rushed back, which is a situation that he’ll look to avoid this time around. Translation: He’s going to be out for a while. 

“The main reason I missed eight games last year is because [of] trying to come back in two [games] and re-aggravating it two or three times in practice, where nobody could really see it,” Waller said. “So it was like: ‘Where is this guy?’ But [now] I’m taking a little bit more of an approach of saying, ‘OK, if it’s four weeks [out], if it’s three weeks, if it’s whatever it is, use that time efficiently — and not try to be a hero and come back [too quickly] and stressing it and pushing it.’ I’ve got to take care of my body first.”

One option could be for the Giants to place Waller on injured reserve, meaning he would miss at least four games. If they did so before Week 9, the earliest he’d be able to return is Week 14 against Green Bay following the team’s bye week. 

Not only does Waller miss out on going against a Raiders team that traded him to the Giants this past offseason, but this injury is a dramatic blow to New York’s offense as a whole. Heading into Week 9, Waller leads the team in targets, receptions, and receiving yards.