A few years ago, Jon Gruden and the Raiders made the bold decision to let Jared Cook walk in free agency. He was the team’s leading receiver in 2018 and had arguably the best year of his career in Oakland.
But the reason why the Raiders were confident enough to let him leave was due to Darren Waller, a former wide receiver turned tight end. The hope was that he would eventually become a Travis Kelce-like player with the Raiders.
Fast-forward three years later and Kelce and Waller are the top two tight ends in the NFL. On Sunday, their teams will face off against one another in a huge AFC West battle on Sunday Night Football.
Both players are must-see TV and they are each the primary receiver for their passing attack. Here is what Paul Gutierrez of ESPN had to say about this fascinating Week 10 matchup between two elite tight ends:
“Two of the game’s best tight ends — Kansas City’s Travis Kelce and Las Vegas’ Darren Waller — face off on Sunday night. Kelce, a six-time Pro Bowler and three-time first-team All-Pro, is looking for his third straight game against the Raiders with at least eight catches, 100 yards and a TD. He is averaging 108.0 receiving yards in his past four games against the Raiders.
Waller, who set a franchise record with 107 catches last season, is looking to catch a TD pass in his third straight game against the Chiefs — and he has four TDs in his past five games against the AFC West.”
Waller and Kelce are both nearly unstoppable in one-on-one situations and what makes them so dangerous is how good they are after the catch. They are too fast for linebackers to cover them and two big for safeties. And it’s why both the Chiefs and Raiders can be so difficult to defend.
But with both offenses struggling in Week 9, it’s going to be up to these two stud tight ends to carry their offenses in Week 10. Each team needs their tight end to produce in a big way in this matchup and look for both Kelce and Waller to be targeted early and often.
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