Next man up. That's the mentality the NY Giants have heading into 2024 and that's exactly what the case is at tight end with Darren Waller deciding to hang up his cleats and retire. A lot of offseason attention has gone to fourth-round pick Theo Johnson and rightfully so.
The Penn State product is an exciting addition for the offense. However, let's not forget about Year 3 tight end Daniel Bellinger. Bellinger has shown promise in his first two seasons, but injuries have held him back a bit. That's why he's ready to do whatever is needed to up his game moving forward. This includes a return trip to 'Tight End University,' which is obviously positive news.
Daniel Bellinger present once again for TE University. A big year on the way for the young TE, especially with Darren Waller out of the picture #NYGiants pic.twitter.com/U4AZcwalye
— GMEN HQ (@GMENHQ) June 17, 2024
What can the NY Giants expect from Daniel Bellinger in 2024?
The annual three-day event is put on by Travis Kelce, George Kittle and Greg Olsen, three of the best tight ends over the past 10 years. Olsen may be retired and in the booth, but he still knows ball. Kittle and Kelce are savages on the field and they're always doing their best to help youngsters out.
That will be the case again for Bellinger, who is going to look to have more of an impact on offense this season. While he didn't participate during OTAs and minicamp, Bellinger recently met with the media in East Rutherford and made it clear he's going to be working overtime to make sure he can be a beast for Brian Daboll and Co.
"I'm ready to take a step and do whatever they need me to do, and do it better"
— Giants Videos (@SNYGiants) June 11, 2024
- Daniel Bellinger pic.twitter.com/1HttM2xAmN
That's the perfect mindset from Bellinger leading up to training camp and Week 1. During his rookie season, Bellinger posted 30 receptions for 268 yards and two touchdowns, while adding a rushing TD. He followed things up with 25 receptions for 255 yards last campaign.
No one is expecting Bellinger to be a Pro Bowler in 2024, but with Waller out of the picture, he indeed needs to take things to a new level and be a leader for this tight ends group. Not having Waller is going to sting, but Bellinger being proactive in making sure he can be at his best should make a lot of Big Blue supporters quite happy.