Raiders Podcast Rewind: Raiders tight end Darren Waller

Every Wednesday, as part of her “Vegas Nation: Takeaways” podcast host, producer/videographer Heidi Fang talks to a Raiders player or personality. This week Fang talks with Raiders’ tight end Darren Waller. This has been edited for clarity and length.

Heidi Fang: So, first of all, let’s get into this move to Las Vegas. What has the transition been like for you coming into a new city?

Darren Waller: It’s been great. After living here for about two weeks, I was very impressed. It was just like so different from anything I’ve seen growing up in the South. I’m definitely loving it so far, loving everything about it. The heat takes some getting adjusted to, for sure. But I can get used to that. I have nothing but good things to say.

HF: With the offseason disrupted by the coronavirus, what was it like to finally get to the Raiders’ headquarters and facility and get to work in-person with your teammates?

DW: It’s great to be in the building and be around the young guys and encourage them. Not having an offseason from April to June, that’s been their biggest hurdle. There’s a lot on their plate. and I’m trying to help them figure it.out. A lot of guys have a lot of energy. You see guys sprinting in the walk-throughs.

HF: What has it been like to be back working with Foster Moreau and newly acquired veteran Jason Witten at tight end?

DW: It’s been great. Then you throw Derek Carrier in the mix, too. We have a strong four right now. It’s a lot of different personalities, but we mesh well. Jason’s already been a great addition to the room on Zoom. Then, being in-person for a couple of weeks, he’s been great. Throw Frank [Smith], our coach, into the mix as well. It’s just been a great room of learning and still keeping it light, having fun.

HF: With the addition of rookies Henry Ruggs and Bryan Edwards at wide receiver, plus the four guys in the tight end room, how do think that will affect your role?

DW: I think it just sets up a super balanced attack. The more you spread it around and more weapons you have, the better. Those guys will help me, I’ll help them in return. So we will all be able to feed off of each other. If that means less numbers for me, then so be it. ‘Cause it’s about winning, it’s about letting the offense be great, letting the team be great.

HF: I wanted to ask you about your sobriety. It is the three-year mark right now that you’re celebrating being clean. What has this journey and your return to the NFL been like?

DW: Yeah, it was pretty crazy. I mean, honestly, when I got suspended for a year, I didn’t even really know if I wanted to come back. I didn’t want to train or be involved with any of it. I just couldn’t see football from a positive perspective.

Then halfway through, I started training again, getting back into it and was able to have the ability to see football for a game that I enjoyed playing. It’s not because I have to impress people or be seen as a macho man to do it. I can just have fun.

HF: How did you wind up with the Raiders?

DW: I kind of thought it was gonna work out with the Ravens, but then you get cut and you’re on the practice squad. So that was kind of tough. Coming here to the Raiders was a miracle, honestly. Being able to prove myself a little bit at a time at the end of the 2018 season and then to get that opportunity last year.

I was working in the back of a grocery store in 2017, 2018, and nobody was really believing in me. So it had to be on me and the small group of people around me.

HF: I don’t know if a lot of people realize the everyday struggle that it is to maintain sobriety. So the three-year mark, what kind of milestone is that for you?

DW: It’s definitely something that I didn’t think was possible, especially where I was, as far as how I was using and how often it was and just how deep into it I was. Trying to get through that first week was tough. Then it’s like, OK, you get a month. So it’s just all about stacking days, really. It’s like, ‘Yeah, I got to three years.’ But there are people that get a whole bunch of years under them and they still, like, one day slip up.

So it’s a daily battle and it’s something worth celebrating. But as soon as the next day comes, it’s back to the program, back to the routine of staying present and being urgent about it.

Heidi Fang can be reached at hfang@reviewjournal.com. Download the Vegas Nation podcasts three times a week at www.LVRJ.com/podcasts. More Raiders: Follow at vegasnation.com and @VegasNation on Twitter.