Getty Rob Gronkowski's peak is the template for a "high-end" playmaker for the New York Giants.
Rob Gronkowski’s performances are almost impossible to replicate, but the New York Giants are well-placed to recreate ‘Gronk’ after the trade for Pro-Bowl tight end Darren Waller earlier this offseason.
The move has been praised by Tyler Sullivan of CBS Sports for helping land quarterback Daniel Jones a “high-end” weapon who can become his “go-to option” in the passing game. Sullivan called on Waller to stay healthy after two injury-hit seasons, but he also expects the former Las Vegas Raiders playmaker to respond well to Giants’ head coach Brian Daboll’s history of working with marquee tight ends.
Daboll served as tight ends coach for the New England Patriots from 2013-16, and his tenure involved helping Gronkowski earn “two first-team All-Pro seasons and had Martellus Bennett catch 55 passes for 701 yards and a career-high seven touchdowns in 2016.”
Daboll’s experience, coupled with offensive coordinator Mike Kafka’s stint with the Kansas City Chiefs, should help Waller return to his career-best form of 2019 and ’20.
Brian Daboll’s Influence Key for Giants’ Best Weapon
Daboll was Gronkowski’s position coach during a high point of the latter’s prolific career. Gronkowski topped 1100 receiving yards in back-to-back seasons on Daboll’s watch across 2014 and ’15, something Waller also achieved with the Raiders.
Those seasons were among Gronkowski’s highest-graded campaigns, per PFF NE Patriots.
Rob Gronkowski’s highest graded seasons as a Patriot
1️⃣ 2011: 92.9
2️⃣ 2014: 91.5
3️⃣ 2015: 91.2
4️⃣ 2013: 91.0
5️⃣ 2012: 90.9
The grades were made possible because Daboll played a key role in helping morph the ‘Gronk’ from a dynamic but traditional in-line tight end into a roving weapon. Gronkowski transitioned into a target who lined up in multiple spots to exploit numerous favorable matchups.
It’s the same template the Giants will use for Waller, who has a history of gashing defenses from all over the field. The 30-year-old played 82 of his 346 snaps in the slot last season, according to Player Profiler.
Expect Waller to line up inside plenty for the Giants, but his biggest impact will be in expanding a pedestrian passing attack. As Sullivan pointed out, the Giants “ranked 31st in explosive pass players (catches of 20-plus yards),” but Player Profiler detailed how Waller received 13 deep targets, for an average of 1.4 per game.
Waller showcased his talent for stretching the field with this 34-yard grab vs. the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 16.
Another 3rd & 10 reception and conversion by Darren Waller.
Runs downfield and makes a spinning catch in double-coverage. This was last season in a game where the Steelers retired Franco Harris jersey. #TogetherBlue
There’ll be more opportunities for plays like these in Daboll and Kafka’s offense. Especially if Waller not only mimics Gronkowski, but also the tight end who has arguably surpassed the ‘Gronk.’
Rob Gronkowski Not the Only Blueprint for Giants
Gronkowski’s development under Daboll is an admirable blueprint for Waller, but so is Kafka’s previous first-hand experience of Chiefs’ All-Pro tight end Travis Kelce. Waller is already expected to be deployed the same way the Chiefs use Kelce.
That’s exciting news for a Giants’ air attack needing more punch in the red zone, an area where Kelce has dominated ever since ‘Gronk’ was in his heyday, per NFL on CBS.
Receiving TDs among TEs since 2015
Travis Kelce 61
Rob Gronkowski 38
Zach Ertz 36
Eric Ebron 35
Jimmy Graham 34
Waller can expect to double his 10 red-zone targets from a year ago, given how Kafka saw Kelce utilized inside the 20, and also how often Gronkowski and Bennett found pay-dirt for Daboll.
Part of the reason the number is so low stems from Waller’s lengthy recent injury history. He missed eight games with thigh and hamstring problems that eventually landed him on injured reserve last season. Those setbacks followed ankle and knee injuries that cost Waller six games in 2021.
An injury record this extensive is the only worry regarding Waller’s ability to make the grade with the Giants. There are no such concerns about a scheme fit that can make the third-round draft pick the Giants traded away look like a bargain.
Gronkowski and Kelce are daunting benchmarks, but Waller’s the right player in the right offense, designed by the right coaches, to merit both comparisons.