How Darren Waller Can Raise His Game in 2020

Darren Waller’s 2019 season was magnificent but there are still several areas of his game that he can improve in.

According to Pro Football Focus, Waller recorded a mediocre grade for his run blocking efforts in 2019. He ended the season with a run-blocking grade of 58.2, ranking 34th among the 69 qualifying tight ends.

It’s well apparent, Waller does most of his damage catching the ball and moving the chains by grabbing yards after the catch. However, in Jon Gruden’s ground and pound running attack being led by Josh Jacobs — a proficient run-blocking tight end who can hold his own on the edge while also being a decoy as a potential receiving threat could wind up being the key element that it takes to stay on the field for all three downs.

Another area that Waller needs to clean up a bit is his dropped passes. In 2019, he recorded five passes that were considered a drop.

He did see a career-high 117 targets, shattering his previous high of 17 targets on a season back in 2016 but hauling in the pass is the most crucial aspect for a receiver.

Now that Waller has put himself on the map as a top-five tight end, opposing teams will view him much differently than they did just one year ago. He’s likely to be forced into beating more bracket coverages this season since the anticipation of Waller being the Raiders go-to option is well pronounced.