On and Off the Field, Darren Waller Is a Raiders Leader
If there is one player on the Raiders team that can carry the team through perseverance, it has to be tight end, Darren Waller.
In a league loaded with tight ends, the Raiders have a player on the verge of becoming the best tight end in the league.
“We think he is a superstar, we think he’s a great tight end-- We are happy to have our guy, he can do it all. He can block, he can run any route, he’s got great stamina,” said Raiders Head Coach Jon Gruden, who enters his third-year coaching Waller.
What Waller has brought to the Raiders is much more than just another player making plays on the field.
Waller has matured before our eyes. He has made himself a vocal leader on a Raiders team full of young talent and new acquisitions.
The start of August 2020 marked his three-year anniversary of being sober.
“He had a dark portion in his life there for a while that not a lot of people come back from, and I hope a lot of young people out there get the real story behind Waller, you can beat addiction. If you just listen to Darren Waller and how he did it, he is a great source of ... leadership and proof that you can be great, even though you’ve had some really dark, dark times,” Gruden said.
Bringing in a veteran tight end like Jason Witten will help Waller progress as a player, but it will also help him take the next steps as a leader on this team.
The Raiders expect him to be more physical this year and plan to keep him in the field for every play.
Gruden said: “We have big plans for Waller, that’s why we brought in some other receivers to take the pressure off him, brought in another tight end, so we don’t have Darren (Waller) do it all for us all the time, but big thing is to lean on his experience.”
His experience on and off the field is critical, as the Raiders plan to move forward.
One thing for sure, the leadership he brings can carry this team through the toughest times.
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