The New York Giants made a barrage of changes in John Harbaugh's first offseason, but perhaps the most important one was revamping their receiver room. Malik Nabers is still the alpha among the Giants' pass-catchers, but how things shake out behind him remains to be seen, especially if he misses the start of the season.
New York still has Darius Slayton, but the signings of Calvin Austin and Darnell Mooney and the selection of Malachi Fields complicated the depth chart. For all we know, Slayton could open up the year as the WR2, but he could also be relegated to a complimentary role where fans prefer to see him.
However, one Giants' beat reporter feels differently. During an OTAs mailbag from The Athletic reporter Dan Duggan, he touched on what he expects from the 29-year-old in 2026. And he made it clear that he doesn't expect the additional depth at wideout to affect the veteran's production all that much.
"I understand the excitement over the additions at wide receiver this offseason, but I’m not sold on any being an upgrade over Slayton.," Duggan wrote. "While acknowledging his drops are maddening and that he had a down year in 2025, Slayton’s production last season was still in line with Calvin Austin’s best year."
Giants' beat reporter says Darius Slayton will continue to play a key role on offense
After his drop-riddled 2025, there was some talk of Big Blue moving on from the eighth-year receiver, but that isn't gonna happen. Slayton has spent his entire career in New York, and in a weird way, the $36 million man, while not much more than semi-reliable, has become a fixture at 1925 Giants Drive.
Let's look at his main competition. Austin is a pure dep threat has never had more than 550 receiving yards in a season, and Darnell Mooney is one of the most volatile WRs in the league. Signing him is the NFL equivalent of Russian Roulette.
Fly Me to the Mooney had nearly 1,000 yards for the Atlanta Falcons in 2024, yet had less than half that in 2025. And Fields has been promising thus far after a bold trade-up, but it's too early to figure out what he'll become.
John Harbaugh still needs pass-catchers he can trust behind Nabers, and despite his unproductive 2025, Slayton is historically pretty reliable. The 2019 fifth-round pick has surpassed 750 receiving yards in four of his seven seasons and was more productive than both veterans they signed last year.
Even though a sports hernia surgery will sideline him until training camp, Duggan dropped a bold prediction about him: he thinks the Auburn product will finish with the second-most receiving yards among all receivers on the G-Men in 2026 under the assumption a healthy Nabers leads the pack.
"Slayton has been counted out numerous times, and he seems to be at his best in those situations. A sports hernia surgery that will sideline him until training camp opens the door for the new receivers to impress, but my bold prediction is that Slayton will finish second among Giants wide receivers in receiving yards (assuming a healthy Nabers is No. 1)."
The fact of the matter is the 6-foot-1, 198-pound WR is a great locker room guy and quality depth receiver, so Duggan is correct in saying he'll always have a role with the Giants. We just don't know how Slayton's role will change going forward because of Fields, Austin, and Mooney.
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