Giants' Darren Waller out vs. Raiders with Hamstring Injury; Could Land on IR

The New York Giants will not have tight end Darren Waller available for Sunday's game against the Las Vegas Raiders because of a hamstring injury.

Head coach Brian Daboll told reporters as much Thursday and noted Waller could end up on injured reserve, meaning he would miss a minimum of four games.

The development is anything but a surprise considering the tight end told reporters Wednesday he is dealing with a "very frustrating" hamstring concern that could "potentially" keep him sidelined for weeks.

Waller leads the Giants in both catches (36) and receiving yards (384) even though he had just one reception for four yards before leaving with the injury in the most recent outing against the New York Jets.

Hamstring issues are nothing new for the 31-year-old, who played just nine games last season and has been managing concerns in 2023 since before Week 1. They haven't prevented him from taking the field to this point, but now they will cost him an opportunity to go up against his former team in Las Vegas.

Despite being limited last season, Waller was still widely considered one of the best tight ends in the league entering his first year with New York in large part because of his back-to-back campaigns with more than 1,100 receiving yards in 2019 and 2020.

He tallied 107 catches for 1,196 yards and nine touchdowns as a Pro Bowler in 2020.

The Giants haven't gotten that version of him on a consistent basis and now have to turn toward Daniel Bellinger as they attempt to turn things around following a 2-6 start.

Fortunately for New York, the schedule presents an opportunity to land some much-needed wins in the coming weeks. In fact, four of its next five opponents are under .500 on the season, including the 3-5 Raiders.

Whether the Giants can succeed against the soft portion of their schedule without their leading receiver remains to be seen, but they could still be a playoff contender when Waller returns if they do.