There's still a while for the NY Giants to start the new season and general manager Joe Schoen has a lot of tough decisions to make. It's not going to be easy for him to get things down cut wise for the 53-man roster, but some choices are more obvious than others.
Is that the case with veteran tight end Darren Waller? In the fourth round of the NFL Draft, Schoen added some Waller insurance by taking Penn State's Theo Johnson. Waller has been missing in action this offseason and he's skipped the voluntary workouts. Because of that, Bleacher Report has Waller as NY's 'best player' who could possibly be cut before Week 1 gets here.
Will the NY Giants part ways with Darren Waller this offseason?
"Darren Waller has been transparent about considering retirement this offseason, so it's no coincidence the Giants drafted Theo Johnson in the fourth round. New York presumably will keep Waller if he decides to play, but the team would save $6.7 million if he's released."Bleacher Report's David Kenyon
All signs are pointing to Waller retiring, as this has been something he's been debating for months. However, it could get to a point where Schoen and Brian Daboll won't be able to wait any longer on the former Pro Bowler to make a decision. Should the Giants release him, it would free up almost $7 million in cap space.
Might this lead to the Giants going after some more help for the offensive line? Who knows, but that money would surely come in handy for Schoen. When the Giants traded for Waller last offseason, fans widely celebrated the news, as he was expected to become the top pass-catching option for Daniel Jones.
However, Jones missed most of the year due to his neck injury/torn ACL, while Waller was once again hampered by a bum hamstring. Waller has said he's unsure if his heart would be 100 percent on playing, so it has him thinking about hanging up his cleats. Schoen could end up making the decision for him and cutting him before camp arrives. This will of course be something to monitor as we get closer to the summer.