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Darren Waller, Bobby Okereke Reflect on New Captainship with Giants

The two veteran Giants leaders reflected on their respective honors.

Patricia Traina

Darren Waller, Bobby Okereke Reflect on New Captainship with Giants
Darren Waller, Bobby Okereke Reflect on New Captainship with Giants /
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It wasn't all that long ago that New York Giants tight end Darren Waller and inside linebacker Bobby Okereke were the new faces in the team's locker room.

But after going through the entire off-season program, training camp, and the preseason, both Waller and Okereke find themselves having been selected by their teammates as first-time captains despite their newness.

"It means a lot. It's something you don't take for granted," said Waller, who was a team captain for the Las Vegas Raiders in 2021.

"Honestly, that’s one of the biggest honors you can get as a player on a team," said Okereke, a first-time NFL captain. "To be voted by your peers and your teammates as a captain. Something I don’t take lightly at all."

Okereke has been a staple for the Giants in the middle of the defense since arriving as an unrestricted free agent following four seasons with the Colts.

When asked what he felt he showed his teammates to earn the honors, Okereke said, "I think just discipline, hard work, a lot of the intangible stuff that doesn’t take any talent. Just showing up and working and being a guy that they can count on."

Waller was humbled by the honor bestowed on him, noting that he never intended to come into the locker room to win any popularity contests.

"I just come in to try to impact guys in a positive way because I know I'm somebody that's been in the league longer than a lot of guys in the locker room have, so they may look at me to see, ‘How’s he been able to sustain through good times and through bad?’" he said.

"I try to set an example like that, and it manifested into being a captain, and I’m going to continue to do the same things that I've been doing as far as uplifting guys and just being a positive example."

The Giants elected ten captains, four on offense (Waller, quarterback Daniel Jones, offensive tackle Andrew Thomas, and running back Saquon Barkley), five on defense (Okereke, cornerback Adoree' Jackson, safety Xavier McKinney, and defensive linemen Dexter Lawrence and Leonard Williams) and one on special teams (kicker Graham Gano), in a vote conducted Tuesday that saw as many as 22 different players receive votes, according to head coach Brian Daboll.

Okereke said that's a reflection of the organization and its values.

"High character; very mature group," he said. "It speaks to (General Manager) Joe (Schoen) and Dabs and the type of people that they bring into the locker room. The Mara family, just the whole organization that they’ve got here. Just a very respectable organization.

"We’ve got great leadership all around, and I’m just happy to add to that and do whatever I can to help this team win," Okereke said.

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Patricia Traina
PATRICIA TRAINA

Patricia Traina has covered the New York Giants for 30+ seasons, and her work has appeared in multiple media outlets, including The Athletic, Forbes, Bleacher Report, and the Sports Illustrated media group. As a credentialed New York Giants press corps member, Patricia has also covered five Super Bowls (three featuring the Giants), the annual NFL draft, and the NFL Scouting Combine. She is the author of The Big 50: The Men and Moments that Made the New York Giants. In addition to her work with New York Giants On SI, Patricia hosts the Locked On Giants podcast. Patricia is also a member of the Pro Football Writers of America and the Football Writers Association of America.

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