It goes without saying, but the 2023 season was an outright disaster for the NY Giants. After a 9-7-1 year in 2022 under first-year head coach Brian Daboll, with a playoff berth and win, the G-Men followed things up by going 6-11 and missing out on the postseason. What in the heck went wrong?
There was just something about this team that had many wondering what happened, as the Giants offense could not get into a consistent groove on both sides of the ball. On offense and defense, countless players let the team and Coach Dabes down. The long list no question includes these five players:
5. TE Darren Waller
The Giants have needed a WR1 for a while. With the team not bringing one in last spring, Joe Schoen surprised a lot of people by trading for stud pass-catcher Darren Waller. The Giants hoped that Waller could not only stay healthy, but also get back to his old Pro Bowl form. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case in 2023.
In his first season with Big Blue, Waller only had 52 receptions for 552 yards and just one touchdown. Waller also missed five games during the regular season due to a lingering hamstring injury. Plus, the former Pro Bowl tight end failed to have a 100-yard game through the air, as his best game yardage-wise was 98 yards on seven catches against the Washington Commanders on Oct. 22.
This was considered the Giants "big" offseason move to finally elevate a Giants offense that finished in the basement in the NFL in terms of passing yards. That was not the case. It is unclear if this was a one-and-done year for the 31-year-old TE, but regardless, he was a disappointment in 2023. Fans expected a lot more from Waller.