How Giants TE Daniel Bellinger Has Benefitted from Darren Waller's Arrival

Although the New York Giants landed tight end Darren Waller, one of the best at his position when healthy, this doesn't mean they've forgotten about Daniel Bellinger.

The 22-year-old Bellinger was an unexpected contributor in his rookie season. Despite missing five games due to a freak eye injury in a Week 7 win against the Jaguars, he hauled in 30 receptions on 35 targets, recorded 268 receiving yards, and scored three touchdowns, one of which was a rushing touchdown on a trick play.

While the addition of an established star like Waller would normally indicate that Bellinger is being replaced or having his role reduced, this is far from the case, as the Giants hope to utilize both in 12- and 13-personnel packages, which have been seen more frequently in training camp through six practices so far.

The acquisition of Waller has positively impacted Bellinger, as the two, who first crossed paths at the annual "Tight Ends University" founded by George Kittle of the 49ers, Travis Kelce of the Chiefs, and former NFL tight end Greg Olsen, have quickly bonded.

“Just being able to talk and see how he views things off the field, I think, is the biggest eye opener for me,” Bellinger said. “I think he's been helping me a lot and helping everybody. He’s a great guy all around.”

Bellinger also sees Waller’s presence as an opportunity to improve his own play, as Waller freely shares his knowledge and offers advice to the young, second-year tight end.

“He’s a very smart guy. He helps myself and helps the whole offense just with different things that he can do,” Bellinger said.

“If he sees something on film that he thinks I could do better, or (tight end Lawrence) Cage(r) could do better, or anybody in the tight end room could do better, he’ll speak up and give his thoughts on a play."

Waller also encourages his fellow tight ends to speak up if they see something within his game. 

"If he does something on the field, when I ask him, ‘Hey, what’d you see there?’ he's always open to giving his thoughts on a play. Obviously, we see it on film all the time and what he did in Las Vegas, but being able to just pick his brain off the field, I think, is what makes him the most unique.”

Bellinger didn't sound too worried about his role on the team disappearing now that Waller has arrived. In addition to lining up at the traditional tight end spot, Bellinger has taken some snaps as a fullback and H-back, adding to the role he had last year as a rookie.  

Regarding the passing game, Bellinger believes Waller will have an even bigger impact there.

“What Darren does opens up for everybody, not just in the tight end room, but in the receiving room, and it opens up everything all together,” Bellinger said. “So, I wouldn't say I think about the targets or the passes or whatever that is. I think of it as what's going to help the team the best, what's going to put us in the best position to win.”

This thought process has much to do with how head coach Brian Daboll and offensive coordinator Mike Kafka run the offense. Both coaches are willing to use multiple tight ends at any given time.

Bellinger and Waller haven’t specifically discussed how they would play as a tandem, as Daboll and Kafka haven’t made any concrete decisions. Still, the Giants continue experimenting with different alignments during the early part of camp.

“Coach Kaf (Kafka) and Dabs (Daboll) use a lot of different personnel and do a lot of different things with the offense, so we haven’t gotten down to specifics,” Bellinger said. 

“I think they're trying to put on different things right now to show on film and see what we can do as a whole offense, so they can evaluate guys from every perspective. They’ll make those decisions as we go forward.”

Regardless of Bellinger’s role moving forward, he is entering the new season with more confidence, as he believes he can read a defense better than before and no longer needs to “hyper-focus on the small things.”

“The biggest thing that I'm getting feedback from other guys on, and the biggest thing I'm experiencing myself, is just having more confidence going into a play or to a practice,” Bellinger said. 

“I understand not just my job and my responsibility, but now understand everybody's job and can focus on the whole scheme of a play instead of just focusing on my one job. I can see the field better and be more confident about play.”