Daniel

Bellinger

Johnson was expected to compete for the starting tight end job after being selected in the fourth round of this year’s draft. Now, he lands on the physically unable to perform list at the start of camp with a hip injury. With Darren Waller’s retirement, Daniel Bellinger is now in line to start. The hope is Johnson’s injury is not serious but he will be out to start camp practices.

With Darren Waller’s recent retirement, the Giants are looking for a reliable pass-catching tight end. “It looked this spring like Cager and fourth-round pick Theo Johnson will be asked” to fill Waller’s role in the New York offense. Giants head coach Brian Daboll said Cager, a converted wideout who has 19 receptions over five NFL seasons, was “probably one of the most improved players throughout the offseason.” ESPN’s Jordan Raanan did not mention presumed starting TE Daniel Bellinger as a candidate to take on pass-catching duties in 2024.

Daboll told reporters that “something happened a few weeks ago” to Bellinger and his participation in spring and summer practices has since been limited. It’s unclear if Bellinger sustained a serious injury, but it will be something to monitor in the coming weeks. Bellinger, who had 30 catches for 268 yards and two touchdowns over 11 games in 2022, profiles as the Giants’ clear No. 1 tight end after the retirement of Darren Waller. Rookie TE Theo Johnson would be next up if Bellinger misses time during the preseason or regular season.

After spending all of the offseason away from the Giants, Waller is now ready to hang it up. The eight-year vet entered the league as a sixth-round pick of the Ravens back in 2015. The former Georgia Tech wide receiver battled through substance abuse issues early in his career and missed the 2017 season as a result of being suspended for violating the league’s substance abuse policy. He returned to the Ravens in 2018 and was traded to the Raiders at the end of that season. In 2019, Waller, who had made the permanent switch to tight end, broke out for 90-1145-3 and earned a Pro Bowl nod in 2020 when he caught 107 passes for 1,196 yards and nine touchdowns. Injuries would plague him over the last three years, as he appeared in just 32 of a possible 51 games and played in just 12 games for the Giants in his lone season with the team. Waller overcame late draft capital, early struggles in his career, and a positional overhaul to carve out a solid career for himself. His retirement frees up roughly $11.6 million in cap space for the Giants, who are now expected to go with third-year tight end Daniel Bellinger as their starter. They also selected Penn State’s Theo Johnson with the No. 107 pick in this year’s draft.

The most we’ve seen of Waller this offseason came from a music video he posted last week. The Giants haven’t given a deadline for Waller to announce his decision, but according to Raanan, he “is likely to make a decision by next week’s mandatory minicamp about his playing future,” adding that people close to the team believe he’ll opt to walk away. Waller caught 52 passes for 552 yards and one touchdown over 12 games last season and has played in 12 or fewer games in each of his last three seasons. The soon-to-be 32-year-old has dealt with multiple injuries over the years. Third-year tight end Daniel Bellinger would presumably get the first crack at the starting job if Waller does retire. In two seasons, Bellinger has caught 55 passes for 523 yards and two touchdowns and could have some streaming upside on a team short on receiver talent.

After a promising rookie season, Bellinger didn’t take much of a leap even with Darren Waller missing five games. A lot can be attributed to quarterback play, but Bellinger was never at the top of the Giants’ target pecking order. He put together his best string of two games in Week 16 and 17 going 8-82-0. For now Bellinger is much more of a long shot fantasy option than he is a boom or bust player. Bellinger ends his second season having caught 25 passes for 255 yards.

Bellinger got the same number of targets as Darren Waller, splitting tight end looks between two different Giants quarterbacks on the day. He got looks on crossing routes over the middle of the field and down the seams, though his utility dipped once Tyrod Taylor entered the game. Bellinger is best left on fantasy benches the rest of the season.

It’s a miracle Bellinger caught even two passes in Darren Waller’s return. With Waller back, 23-year-old Bellinger isn’t worth a roster spot in even 14-team leagues.

Bellinger has been off the fantasy radar for the duration of the season, even with Darren Waller sidelined. The two grabs brings his season total to 13 catches on 15 targets for 145 yards and no touchdowns.

According to head coach Brian Daboll, Bellinger won’t practice on Saturday, which will make it two straight DNPs for the tight end to close out the week. It’d be surprising if his illness hung around long enough to keep him out of Monday’s contest, but anything is possible. Bellinger won’t be on the fantasy radar even if he does suit up, as he has just 13 receptions for 145 scoreless yards on the season. There are almost certainly better streaming options available on your waiver wire.