Coach Brian Daboll relayed Thursday that Waller remains absent from the Giants' OTAs, Pat Leonard of the New York Daily News reports.

EDGE Analysis

Waller's absence isn't surprising given that he's considering retirement, but Daboll indicated that the Giants plan to give the 31-year-old tight end the time he needs to make a call on his plans for 2024."[We will] let Darren take what [time] he needs to take, and once the decision is made, we'll go from there," Daboll noted Thursday. If Waller elects not to play this season, Daniel Bellingerwould be the next man up in a TE corps that also currently includes Theo Johnson, Jack Stoll, Chris Manhertz, Lawrence Cager and Tyree Jackson.

Waller said Wednesday that he's still undecided on retirement but will make a decision "pretty soon," Dan Duggan of The Athletic reports.

EDGE Analysis

While he doesn't expect to decide before the start of the 2024 league year March 11, the 31-year-old tight end said he doesn't want it become "this drawn-out thing" and will give the Giants time to adjust if they end up needing to replace him. If he waits too long the team might take the decision out of his hands, as Waller doesn't have any guarantees remaining on his contract and is scheduled for at least $12 million in compensation each of the next three seasons. The Giants can free up $11.625 million in cap space by declaring Waller as a post-June 1 release, though multiple reports have suggested they'd rather have him back. The tight end was on pace to catch 85 passes for 923 yards through seven games in 2023 before a Week 8 hamstring injury derailed his season and led to a third straight year with at least five missed games. He had 2,341 yards and 12 TDs in 32 games between the 2019 and 2020 seasons, compared to 1,605 yards and six TDs in 32 games over the past three years combined.

Waller still hasn't decided whether he will return to the Giants for the 2024 season or retire, Ryan Dunleavy of the New York Post reports.

EDGE Analysis

Early Friday, news emerged that Waller had contemplated retirement during the offseason but ultimately decided to return. However, the veteran tight end subsequently texted the Post to explain that, despite those reports, he is undecided about retirement. New York gave up a third-round draft pick to acquire Waller from the Raiders in March of 2023, and it's safe to assume that the organization was expecting to get more than one season out of him when making that deal. If Waller does decide to retire, it would be a significant blow to the Giants' air attack, as he ranked second on the team with 52 catches and 552 receiving yards last season despite playing in only 12 games.

Waller thought about retiring earlier this offseason, but he'll continue playing football and isn't expected to be a cap casualty, Paul Schwartz and Ryan Dunleavy of the NY Post report.

EDGE Analysis

A midseason hamstring injury cost Waller five games in 2023, his first year with the Giants and third straight season missing at least five contests. He has three years remaining on his contract but no salary guarantees, with the Giants able to add around $11.6 million in 2024 cap space by declaring the tight end as a post-June 1 cut (or waiting until June to trade him). It sounds like player and team want to give things another shot in New York, hoping Waller can stay relatively healthy for the first time since 2020 even though he'll turn 32 in September. He was on pace to catch 85 passes for 923 yards through seven games in 2023 before the hamstring injury derailed his season Week 8. Waller missed the next five games and then played less than two-thirds of snaps on offense in each of the final four weeks of the season.

Waller brought in five of six targets for 45 yards in Sunday's 27-10 win over Philadelphia.

EDGE Analysis

Waller played just over half of New York's offensive snaps in the contest and finished tied for the team lead in receptions. That led to the fourth-highest yardage mark among Giants pass catchers on an unusually productive day for the team through the air. Waller missed five games in the middle of the campaign due to a hamstring injury, but he was reasonably productive when healthy despite New York's offensive struggles, and he finished the season with 52 catches (on 74 targets) for 552 yards and a touchdown over 12 contests. Waller is under contract through 2026 and should return next season as the Giants' primary tight end and one of the team's biggest threats in the passing game.

Waller caught five of six targets for 51 yards in Sunday's 26-25 loss to the Rams.

EDGE Analysis

Waller posted his highest yardage total since Week 7, as the veteran tight end finally seems to be fully recovered from a hamstring injury that kept him out for five games. He has just one touchdown among his 47 catches for 507 yards on 68 targets as a member of the Giants, but Waller will look to finish his season on a high note in Week 18 against the Eagles.

Waller (knee) was a full participant in Thursday's practice, Dan Duggan of The Athletic reports.

EDGE Analysis

Like several other of his Giants teammates, Waller was estimated as a limited participant Wednesday for the team's walk-through session, but he was back on the field as a full participant a day later to erase any concern about his availability for Sunday's game against the Rams. Since returning from a stint on injured reserve in Week 15, Waller has been held to six catches for 72 yards and no touchdowns on 11 targets, but his fantasy ceiling could be higher in Week 17 with a more proven signal-caller in Tyrod Taylor set to replace slumping undrafted rookie Tommy DeVito as the Giants' starting quarterback.

Waller was limited at Wednesday's walkthrough due to a knee injury, Dan Salomone of the Giants' official site reports.

EDGE Analysis

In two appearances since missing five games due to a right hamstring injury, Waller has hauled in six of 11 targets for 72 yards, including a catch of 20-plus yards on both occasions. He did appear to get banged up on his 20-yard snag with 26 seconds remaining during the Giants' last-ditch effort Monday at Philadelphia, but no health concern emerged until the first practice report of Week 17 prep. Waller will have two more chances to get back to full before the team potentially gives him a designation ahead of Sunday's contest against the Rams.

Waller recorded two receptions (on five targets) for 32 yards in Monday's 33-25 loss to the Eagles.

EDGE Analysis

Waller made minimal impact for much of the game and failed to record a catch on each of his first three targets. He got on the stat sheet on the Giants' final possession with receptions of 12 and 20 yards, the latter of which set up a potential game-tying touchdown on the final play of the game. Waller has only 72 yards combined in two games since returning from a hamstring injury, though he has managed 11 targets in that span.

Waller (hamstring) caught four of six targets for 40 yards in Sunday's 24-6 loss to the Saints.

EDGE Analysis

Waller returned from a five-game stint on injured reserve and finished as the Giants' second-leading receiver against the Saints. The receiving tight end did not appear to be limited in terms of playing time or ability in the one-sided loss. This was also the first time we saw him receiving passes from undrafted rookie Tommy DeVito. Waller's final line was right around the averages (4.5 receptions and 48.0 yards per game) we saw when Daniel Jones was getting him the ball earlier this year. More of the same can be expected when the Giants face the Bears on Monday Night Football in Week 16.