Getty Las Vegas Raiders TE Darren Waller.
For all the ups and downs the Las Vegas Raiders had this year, there’s no doubt that Darren Waller is the most exciting piece for the team. The dynamic tight end is as close to unguardable as anybody in the league. Not only did he put together the best season for a tight end in team history, but he may also have put together the best receiving season for any player in team history.
In Week 17 against the Denver Broncos, Waller caught his 105th reception of the season, which passed Tim Brown‘s team record of 104. Brown is the greatest wide receiver in franchise history and a Hall of Famer. What Waller did this past season is no small feat. There are only a few tight ends in the NFL right now who are capable of catching over 100 passes in a season. Waller proved that he’s a rare talent and should be considered among the elite tight end talents in the NFL.
History. Made.
ALL the latest Raiders news straight to your inbox! Subscribe to the Heavy on Raiders newsletter here!
Sign up for the Heavy on Raiders Newsletter!
Josh Jacobs Praises Waller
At this point, everybody knows Waller’s story of battling drug addiction. Despite the rough start to his NFL career, he is now one of the premier players in the league. Waller is so good that his teammates sometimes watch him in awe.
“He’s a special player,” running back Josh Jacobs said of Waller after the win. “He’s one of them players where you’re in the game and you catch yourself watching him play. Every time I see the ball thrown to him, you automatically think he’s going to catch the ball … it’s kinda shocking when he doesn’t.
Waller did lose a fumble against the Broncos but he redeemed himself with an impressive touchdown later in the game. He might be the most consistent player on the entire Raiders offense. He catches almost everything thrown his way and makes a lot of big plays. If he can stay healthy, he’s going to break some more Raiders record.
Jacobs Set His Own Raiders Record
Back 2️⃣ Back
Waller is rightfully getting most of the hype after his big season due to how impressive it is that he broke Brown’s reception record. However, Jacobs set a record of his own. In Week 17, he became the first Raider to rush for over 1,000 yards in his first two seasons. Jacobs didn’t have as strong of a season as last year but he put up another strong showing. Along with Waller, Jacobs is a great building block for the team and should put together another strong season in 2021.
Last but not least, Daniel Carlson is also a Raiders record holder now. In fact, he broke Sebastian Janikowski’s scoring record in a season by scoring over 143 points this season. Carlson had a really down season last year and it looked like the Raiders might need to switch things up at kicker. He proved ant doubters wrong and put together an excellent season. The Raiders definitely have their kicker of the future.
READ NEXT: Analyst Reveals ‘Best’ Player Raiders Could Land This Offseason