Waller Went From Ravens Practice Squad To Raiders Star

(AP) — As players warmed up a fewer hours earlier a crippled successful Baltimore 3 years agone with the Raiders playing retired the drawstring of different mislaid season, thing caught the oculus of violative coordinator Greg Olson.

Darren Waller, past conscionable a mostly chartless signifier squad subordinate for the Ravens, was moving with easiness astir the tract with his 6-foot-6, 255-pound frame.

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“We didn’t person anybody that looked similar Darren Waller, not successful presumption of size, the speed, the athleticism,” Olson recalled this week. “I conscionable hadn’t seen a subordinate similar that.”

Olson went backmost to the locker country and told manager Jon Gruden astir the intriguing subordinate helium saw. By the clip the Raiders were flying location pursuing a 34-17 nonaccomplishment that dropped them to 2-9 connected the season, Gruden had already made what has been his champion determination since returning arsenic Raiders coach.

Now Waller is simply a cardinal portion of the Raiders discourtesy that volition instrumentality connected Baltimore successful the play opener connected Monday night.

“When we got connected the level astatine the extremity of the game, we were connected the runway really and helium said, ‘Sign that feline that you saw connected the signifier squad. We conscionable signed him,'” Olson said. “He had to person the assurance successful me, but evidently without him going guardant with it, it wouldn’t person happened. So, existent thankful and fortunate to person that narration with him.”

The Raiders are fortunate Olson saw what helium did due to the fact that Waller developed from a converted receiver whose vocation had been stalled by substance maltreatment problems into 1 of the astir dynamic violative players successful the NFL.

They officially added Waller to the roster 2 days aft the nonaccomplishment successful Baltimore and helium showed flashes precocious that season.

Waller past became a prima successful 2019 erstwhile helium had 90 catches for 1,145 yards and 3 TDs to fertile 2nd to Travis Kelce among choky ends. He was adjacent much productive past play with a Raiders-record 107 catches for 1,196 yards and 9 TDs.

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Now heading into his archetypal crippled against the squad that drafted him successful the sixth circular successful 2015, Waller volition beryllium a apical precedence for the Ravens defense.

“Every clip I spot him bash thing oregon work his sanction successful the paper, I get mad, due to the fact that helium was here,” Ravens manager John Harbaugh said. “It’s like, ‘What happened?’ I deliberation backmost connected it, ‘Well, a batch of things happened.’ Now we person to play against him for the archetypal time, and it’s a immense challenge.”

Waller holds nary sick volition toward the Ravens, blaming himself for not reaching his imaginable successful Baltimore.

Waller was suspended 4 games successful 2016 and each of 2017 due to the fact that of cause violations. He spent the 2018 play connected the Ravens’ signifier squad earlier the Raiders signed him aft helium had 12 vocation catches successful 18 games with Baltimore.

“There’s not immoderate benignant of hard feelings oregon resentment oregon thing similar that,” Waller said. “They didn’t adjacent person to springiness maine a accidental to beryllium connected the signifier squad. They could of conscionable chopped maine earlier that. They had nary crushed to bring maine back, but they inactive did. That gave maine an opportunity. That allowed maine to amended connected my skills and instrumentality vantage of this accidental erstwhile I came here. So I’m grateful for them.”

Waller’s travel has been an inspiring one. He has worked tirelessly to assistance others with addiction, whether it’s a teammate specified arsenic antiaircraft extremity Maxx Crosby oregon the kids helium helps done his foundation.

Olson said it’s that enactment disconnected the tract that has been the astir gratifying to see.

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“Has helium exceeded expectations athletically? No, due to the fact that he’s a phenomenal athlete,” Olson said. “But arsenic acold arsenic a idiosyncratic and the quality that helium exhibits close now, he’s similar 1 of the apical radical you could ever meet. He’s unbelievable, humble, transparent, a phenomenal idiosyncratic and prepares similar you wouldn’t believe. So, that portion of it I conjecture we were blessed to person a feline similar that and were fortunate.”