It doesn’t happen often, but when Darius Slayton’s name gets mentioned in public circles, it tends to be pretty lukewarm. Slayton isn’t one to stir up hard opinions for or against, but Brian Daboll has made it clear where he stands on the Slayton scale.
The New York Giants selected the former Auburn Tiger in the fifth round of the 2019 NFL Draft, just one month after they shocked the world by trading away Odell Beckham Jr. to the Cleveland Browns. That was back when Joe Judge was the HC. Six years later, it’s Brian Daboll calling the shots. And in his quest to be a bit more player-friendly, his relatively surprising comments on Tuesday made it pretty clear how he feels about Slayton.
Related: Brian Daboll might’ve just taken his first real step toward fixing the Giants
"Slayton is an excellent teammate, he's been that way since I've been here," Daboll told reporters. "He's been productive in the things we've asked him to do... he's an excellent leader... vocal, very good communicator... he's a good veteran to have on this football team."
Brian Daboll makes it crystal clear what Darius Slayton's role will be moving forward
It was pretty clear to Giants fans that the front office looked highly on Slayton when they gave him a three-year, $36 million deal this offseason, but now fans actually know why his signing was a priority.
It was widely assumed that when the 28-year-old hit free agency, he was gone. Poof. Off to another team to finally unearth the skillset the G-Men just hadn’t been able to. As for New York, it was a strange move at the time. Why prioritize a guy who’s never had over 800 receiving yards in a season to $12 million annually?
Well, thanks to Daboll, now Giants fans have absolute clarity: it’s because the locker room needs him.
General manager Joe Schoen spent most of the offseason improving the roster. It started with the secondary, bringing in Paulson Adebo and Jevón Holland. Then it was the complete quarterback room overhaul with Russell Wilson, Jameis Winston, and Jaxson Dart. Sprinkle in some trench additions and voila — an upgraded roster.
But the skill position group didn’t get its upgrade. Aside from running back Cam Skattebo and tight end Thomas Fidone II, the skills group remained the same. With the unit being so young, Schoen needed to bring Slayton back, if not for on-field performance, to be a veteran presence. A leader... locker-room guy.
With Wilson taking over the starting duties, his on-field production might finally have the chance to match his off-field impact. This young Giants offense needs a leader other than a quarterback. Daboll all but confirmed what Giants fans already knew. Slayton’s not here to be a performance leader. He’s here to be an extension of the coaching staff to the young guys to help build something special.