Darren Waller suggests a nerve issue is at the root of his hamstring injury
Plenty of high hopes came with the Giants' offseason acquisition of tight end Darren Waller for a third-round pick. And while he was able to play on Sunday night despite a hamstring issue, it sounds as if the hamstring issue is something that won't be quickly resolved.
It's the same muscle that resulted in Waller landing on injured reserve last year with the Raiders, when he played in only nine games and caught only 28 passes. In the aftermath of his debut with the Giants, which saw Waller on the field for 38 snaps, he suggested the issue is perhaps more than just a chronic muscle strain.
“I still have people on working me, a team, and it wasn’t the same degree of strain as last year,” Waller said, via Pat Leonard of the New York Daily News. “It more so has to do with the nerve that was behind it. So it’s not really a muscular issue. It was more so a little bit something different, like nerve-wise.”
That doesn't sound good. It sounds a little like whatever is currently keeping Rams receiver Cooper Kupp from playing.
“I was able to go out there and do all the snaps they asked me to do and not have it affect me,” Waller said. “There were some running real deep down the field where it might nip a little bit, but as far as everything that was asked [of] me, I was fine.”
That's an important caveat. If Waller, who caught three passes for 36 yards on Sunday night, isn't able to fully open up and go, it limits his potential impact on an offense that needs reliable options for quarterback Daniel Jones.
On Wednesday, Waller did not practice due to the same hamstring practice. His availability for Sunday's game against the Cardinals remains to be seen.
