In January, after Lawrence Cager’s eight-catch, 69-yard recreation towards the Eagles, Giants tight ends coach Andy Bischoff in contrast Cager’s distinctive ability set to a particular participant:
Darren Waller.
“Those types of guys — whether it’s a Darren Waller or whomever that is — are out there, that are a little bit of an untraditional guy,” Bischoff stated then. “But if you can master enough of the position to draw a tie in some areas, you can really help your team. And Lawrence is on a journey, and he’s taken an upswing.”
That identify had come up earlier than.
The Jets’ GM referred to as to re-sign Cager coming into the 2022 offseason with an concept for the large receiver who’d as soon as walked his halls.
“Joe Douglas calls my agent and tells me, ‘We want to make him like Darren Waller,’” Cager, 25, advised the Daily News with a smile on Tuesday. “So I’m contemplating, because my whole career, even in college recruiting, a couple schools wanted me to play tight end. And I fought it like no, I’m a receiver. And now I’m sitting in my room like, ‘I see where the league is going. I can be like Darren. I do have a skill set. I know I can play in this league. So why not?’”
And why not go straight to the Waller for recommendation on the way to do it? That’s what Cager did. He traveled to Atlanta to coach with the then-Raiders tight finish for about two weeks final offseason.
“I actually got with Darren and trained with him for a couple weeks, just to pick his brain and learn how he made the transition,” Cager stated on the “Talkin’ Ball with Pat Leonard” podcast. “What little things he did his first year making the transition, how he picked up playbooks, blocking, running routes, what was different from receiver coming to tight end.”
Little did they know Waller could be traded to the Giants this offseason, and now the man Cager was all the time being in comparison with, the participant he’d educated with, the tight finish he emulated, was now going to be his teammate. He couldn’t have been extra excited when he heard.
“When he got traded here, as soon as he got traded, I sent him a text that said, ‘Yo, I’m gonna be like your little brother. I’m gonna be on your hip. I’m gonna be like your annoying little buzz in your ear,’” Cager stated. “‘I’m trying to literally learn everything from you so I can duplicate it and be where you are, because that’s my main goal.’”
Since, Cager stated Waller has been gracious together with his time and teachings.
“He’s here to be a leader for this team and help us get to our next step and our goals,” Cager stated. “And I couldn’t learn from a better guy and be around a better guy.”
If the 6-6, 245-pound Waller can impart even a sliver of his knowledge to Cager this season, it would simply assist unlock the most important sleeper of a weapon on this Giants offense.
Cager is a 6-5, 220-pound specimen who gave the Eagles’ first-string protection matches in Week 18 of final 12 months’s common season.
Brian Daboll and offensive coordinator Mike Kafka, who had been sitting their groups’ starters with a playoff spot locked up, recognized Cager because the advantageous matchup that the Eagles knew the least about.
Davis Webb, the beginning quarterback that day, stated he and Cager met rather a lot that week to go over the sport plan. Webb stated Cager has nice pace and instincts, plus a capability to achieve yards after the catch by turning upfield in a rush.
His athleticism and pace as a former large receiver make him an important matchup towards each linebackers and safeties, which helped the Giants transfer the ball some in that recreation.
“[Daboll] came to me and said this is your opportunity, go show everybody what you can do,” Cager recalled. “I had no other choice but to do what I could do.”
Cager regarded so good that day, although, it begged a query: how did he even develop into out there to the Giants within the first place? The reply lies in Cager’s unorthodox entry into the league.
Cager performed at Miami in school from 2015-18 and had an harm historical past earlier than transferring to Georgia for the 2019 season. He had 12 months, with 33 catches for 476 yards and 4 TDs, however broke his ankle simply earlier than the SEC Championship Game.
That prevented Cager from with the ability to take part within the 2020 NFL Combine exterior of his medical analysis. Then the COVID pandemic shutdown hit. So Cager couldn’t journey to go to groups. He didn’t have a professional day. And nobody might observe up on his progress in individual.
“They just ceased everything,” he stated.
The Jets signed him as an undrafted free agent, however after a two-catch, 35-yard recreation towards the Colts, Cager popped his hamstring on Thursday Night Football towards the Broncos. He went to Cleveland for a season then got here again to the Jets after Douglas’ name.
And when the Jets reduce him final October to ship him right down to their apply squad, he selected to signal onto the Giants apply squad as an alternative. He noticed a chance, and since, he’s discovered an inspiring quantity of stars aligning for him.
Daboll, it seems, recruited Cager out of highschool whereas working at Alabama. Bischoff, the previous Ravens assistant, already knew Cager from his time as a standout receiver at Baltimore’s Calvert Hall College High School.
“When I was with the Ravens I knew of him, I heard of him,” Bischoff stated with a smile. “So I had a little bit of history following his journey. It’s funny how all of that works out. He lands on our doorstep here. It’s a blessing for us.”
And sure, Bischoff coached Waller with the Ravens. Then Waller received traded to the Giants. When Cager stops to consider it, all of it appears a bit eerie – in a great way.
“A little of destiny I feel like, sometimes,” Cager stated Tuesday.
Now he’s attempting to observe in Waller’s footsteps day-after-day, beginning with the primary lesson Waller taught him final 12 months about attempting to make the transition to tight finish.
“Don’t be afraid to fail was the biggest thing,” Cager stated. “It’s gonna happen. And the biggest learning comes from your failures. So don’t get frustrated if a D-end beats you. Learn from what you did wrong. Watch the film. Ask around. Ask the vets in the room, better blockers, what are they doing.”
Bischoff stated in January that any tight finish needs to be “a guy who can play the whole position,” which implies with the ability to “protect, run-block and catch the ball.” So Cager’s aim is to proceed engaged on being that well-rounded participant the Giants can’t take off the sector, in a room that features second-year tight finish Daniel Bellinger, whom Cager praised as participant, too.
“I have that confidence every day: I can be a starter in this league,” Cager stated. “Now that takes experience. And being behind a guy like Darren Waller, being under his wing and following him everywhere and soaking up game from him, that’s gonna take my game to the next level so I can help this team in the future.”
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Source: www.bostonherald.com