If you were to ask any NFL fan who the best player is on the Raiders right now, the answer would unanimously be Darren Waller. But if you were to ask them who the most valuable player on the team is, you might get several different answers.
After another 1,100-yard season, Waller is making a strong case that he is the most important player on the roster heading into 2021. Without him, the offense would shut down and the team would lose their alpha passing target.
That is why in a recent piece by The Athletic’s 32 beat writers, Vic Tafur named Waller as the most valuable player on this offense heading into the season. Here is a snippet of Tafur’s thoughts on the former Georgia Tech star below:
“He is only five years removed from being a receiver in college, and Waller already is the third-best tight end in the NFL. He can line up anywhere, is too fast for linebackers and too big and strong for defensive backs and has great hands. Plus, he works hard at blocking. He will surely top last year’s 1,196 yards as he continues to get better.”
Tafur calls Waller the third-best tight end in the NFL, but I’m not sure that’s the case. Since 2019, Waller has more than 650 receiving yards and five more touchdowns than George Kittle, who is typically ranked about Waller and next to Travis Kelce. Waller has been the far more durable player and has become a bigger red zone threat.
But back to Tafur’s original point. The Raiders could probably survive a few games with Marcus Mariota at quarterback if Derek Carr were to miss time. They could probably cobble together a suitable offensive line if Kolton Miller was out of the lineup. But I’m not sure how they would move the football or score points without Waller on the field.
Going into his third full year of playing the position, Waller is set to have the best season of his career. He’s the best player on the team and arguably the most important. That’s quite the turnaround for someone who was out of the league in 2017 and had just 18 career catches before the 2019 season.
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