While the Raiders were not able to come away with a win in Week 2, there were several positives to take away from this week’s game. One of which is that tight end Darren Waller continues to be a star in Jon Gruden’s offense.
In his second career start, Waller caught six passes for 63 yards against the Kansas City Chiefs. However, we are still only seeing a portion of his talent. In Week 2, the Raiders primarily used him as a receiver in the flats. Take a look at his receiving chart this week via the NFL’s Next Gen Stats:
As Waller becomes more comfortable in the Raiders’ offense, expect Oakland to use him more down the middle of the field. As you can see from the image above, the Raiders didn’t target Waller once down the seams. Those type of routes typically can produce bigger plays, but they require more precise route-running and more nuance.
In the meantime, Oakland will continue to try to find ways to get Waller the ball. He’s quickly becoming Derek Carr’s favorite receiver and is on pace to smash Jared Cook’s numbers from the 2018 season.
