Giants Rumors: NYG Hopeful Darren Waller Can Play vs. Cowboys Amid Hamstring Injury

New York Giants tight end Darren Waller has a chance to play in Sunday's season opener against the Dallas Cowboys.

Per ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, Waller's hamstring injury isn't considered serious and the team is "hopeful" he will be able to play in Week 1.

Waller was added to the injury report on Friday after being a limited participant in practice. He's officially listed as questionable for the game.

It's unclear exactly when the issue began. ESPN's Jordan Raanan reported it's "not solely from an incident during Giants' practice on Friday, and Waller had been experiencing some tightness in his hamstring late in the week.

The Giants will likely exercise some measure of caution with Waller because of his injury history, particularly related to his hamstrings. The 30-year-old dealt with hamstring issues last season with the Las Vegas Raiders and missed eight games.

Knee and back injuries limited Waller to 11 games during the 2021 season. He was acquired by New York in a March trade with the Raiders for a 2023 third-round draft pick.

Expectations are high for Waller heading into his first season with the Giants. They lack an impact pass-catcher that opposing defenses have to build their coverage around, but he can be that type of player at full strength.

Waller had back-to-back seasons with at least 1,100 receiving yards in 2019 and 2020. He averaged a career-high 13.9 yards per reception last season, though it was only on 28 catches because of his limited playing time.

Darius Slayton and Richie James were the only Giants players with more than 400 receiving yards last season. Daniel Bellinger had just 268 receiving yards as the primary tight end.

The Giants are looking to build off their 9-7-1 record in head coach Brian Daboll's first season. They made the playoffs last year for the first time since 2016 and won a playoff game for the first time since beating the New England Patriots in Super Bowl 46.