Giants TE Darren Waller emerging as WR1 during training camp?

It sure sounds like New York Giants tight end Darren Waller will serve as the primary target for quarterback Daniel Jones this season. 

"There's puttin' the tight end in -- a lot more positions than maybe they did last year," Waller recently told ESPN’s Sal Paolantonio (h/t Jordan Raanan). "'Cause I've run routes from every position that could possibly be on the field in the few years that I've been a starter and been a contributor. So, I believe that I add a different element that, you know, may force a defense to have a different type of focus, which opens things up for all the other playmakers on the team." 

Jones guided the Giants to a postseason berth and a road playoff win last season despite the fact he spent the entire campaign without having what any knowledgeable person would call a true No. 1 wide receiver on the roster. Big Blue acquired Waller via a trade with the Las Vegas Raiders early into the new NFL year, but New York did not actively pursue big-name free agents Odell Beckham Jr. and DeAndre Hopkins. Instead, the Giants signed players such as Parris Campbell and Jeff Smith before they used a third-round draft pick to grab speedster Jalin Hyatt.

Waller noted he's open to being whatever the Giants need him to be during games beginning with the regular-season opener versus the Dallas Cowboys on Sept. 10. 

"...It’s just coming in with a mindset of I don't want to be limited in any part of my game," he explained. "Whatever they want to line me up and run at, I want to be able to do that and be effective at it and not just be like, 'Oh man, I'm not really that good at that,' or, 'I can't do that.' I want to be able to do everything and just present myself as a viable option to the quarterback every time I run a route."

Injuries limited Waller, a one-time Pro Bowl selection, to 20 regular-season games over the previous two campaigns. While he seems on track to lead the Giants in targets for the upcoming season, that will only occur if he's active and on the field for the majority of the team's contests through at least Week 18.