The New York Giants’ tight end room took a hit this offseason with the retirement of Darren Waller. The splash acquisition from last offseason spent much of the 2023 season on the sidelines before announcing he’ll hang up his boots this spring.

The Giants offense had high expectations coming into last year, with Waller expected to be Daniel Jones’ best playmaker in the passing game. Unfortunately, both Waller and Jones were hampered by injuries. A torn ACL in Week 9 ended Jones’ season prematurely, and he has been on the road to recovery ever since.

Jones is surrounded by question marks this year. He has his doubters — some of whom appear to be inside the organization’s building. But Waller still has faith in his quarterback’s abilities, even if he won’t be on the field with him this season.

Giants: Darren Waller still has faith in Daniel Jones

During a guest appearance on SiriusXM NFL Radio, Waller gave his thoughts on Jones heading into the upcoming season. He shared his confidence in his former quarterback as he embarks on a comeback campaign:

“I’m just glad he’s getting another chance,” Waller recently said on SiriusXM NFL Radio (h/t NFL.com ). “I feel like he gets a bad rap. 2022, man, (he) played such good football. Last year was his first opportunity to get out there and play on the new bag that he got. It was tough for us as an offense to protect him, and you can’t put a quarterback out there without some protection and expect them to really, really thrive in the pocket.

“(I) hope they can reinforce those things and give him the opportunity to show that he’s a talented guy, that he’s very athletic, that he gets the opportunity to play the football that he played in 2022. I feel like that’s definitely still in him.”

Waller makes some valid points. The Giants struggled to protect Jones (and all three starting quarterbacks) last season, giving up a league-high 85 sacks on the campaign — the most by a team since 1997.

He was also smart to highlight the success of Jones and the Giants’ offense in 2022. That season, Jones contributed 22 total touchdowns through the air and on the ground, while setting career highs with 3,205 passing yards and 708 rushing yards. Jones established himself as a dual-threat quarterback and was signed to a huge contract last offseason.

The Giants finished the 2022-23 season with a 9-7-1 record and won their first postseason game in more than a decade thanks to Jones’ efficiency and high level of play. If Danny Dimes can play at that level again this season, the Giants’ offense should be able to generate more points and the team should be able to win more games.