Darren Waller could be the Oakland Raiders secret weapon

The Oakland Raiders need to replace Jared Cook in 2019, and they could have just the guy to do it currently on their roster in Darren Waller.

“No, we don’t have any weapons inside,” Oakland Raiders quarterback Derek Carr said as he laughed to his brother David on the set of NFL Network. Carr was obviously trying to keep a secret.

That secret is tight end, Darren Waller.

Waller was a wide receiver at Georgia Tech, but he never quite broke out. He did, however, get better every year. There could be many reasons for this, given the dynamic nature of Georgia Tech’s triple-option, run first option. However, Waller finished his college career with the Yellow Jackets, catching a career high six touchdowns during that final season.

In 2015, Waller was drafted in the 6th round by the Baltimore Ravens (in a trade that sent former-Raider to the Cowboys, how’s that for irony) and again he was never quite able to break through. In his rookie year, he only caught two passes. His sophomore season, he’d change positions to tight end, and catch two touchdowns.

This position change is what attracted the Raiders to him. With the departure of Jared Cook, the Raiders needed his replacement. Waller is a match-up nightmare. He’s 6’6, 240lbs, and runs a 4.5 40.

Waller was added to the Oakland Raiders late last season after being with the Ravens for three years, and he proved his worth quickly by being involved in the jet-sweep run game as well as catching a career long 44 yard reception in a game against the Bengals.

With the Raiders’ additions of Tyrell Williams, Josh Jacobs, and last but not least, Antonio Brown, opposing defenses are going to have to pick their poison. Expect Darren Waller to get a lot of looks, a lot of targets, a lot of gadget plays, and quite possibly, a lot of touchdowns. Fantasy owners, that last sentence was for you.

Waller has to continue to prove it, though. He’s had some issues off the field, which kept him out of football for 2017, but the bright side is, Derek Carr is the best quarterback he’s played with, and the tight end job with the Raiders is his job to lose. “He’s got a big future here,” Jon Gruden said after the 2017 Bengal game.

That future is becoming a reality this training camp, and Darren Waller is about to become a fantasy football household name as soon as Hard Knocks airs on August 6th.