Even as he enters his eighth season with the New York Giants, veteran receiver Darius Slayton is no stranger to fresh starts.
Slayton, a 2019 fifth-round pick, is already playing for his fifth coach, assuming that we count 2025 interim coach Mike Kafka. He arrived during the Pat Shurmur era and, following April’s Dexter Lawrence trade, is the longest-tenured Giant.
And although Slayton missed offseason workouts while recovering from sports hernia surgery, he hasn’t needed long to impress John Harbaugh.
“I like him,” Harbaugh told reporters on Saturday. “Hard worker, very determined, [he] wants to do well. I think he’s getting his strength back … I feel like he’s on his way back and looking for big things.”
Harbaugh also shared that Slayton looked “really fast” during the first few practices.
Can the Giants reliably count on Darius Slayton this season?
Slayton has certainly had his moments, but the one knock against him remains his ball control. Pro Football Reference credited him with five drops last year, and his 7.9% drop rate was his highest since 2022.
Numbers don’t always tell the full story, and that’s a point I’ve personally championed throughout the offseason. Look no further than the media pushing false narratives or blatantly inaccurate information about the Giants.
That said, the conversation changes when you combine data with context. PFR credited Slayton with at least four drops in five of his first seven seasons. Most Giants fans would likely argue that the overall number should be far higher.
Objectively, it’s incredible that Slayton earned a second contract with the Giants considering that he had 19 drops from 2020 to 22. What did Joe Schoen and Brian Daboll see in Slayton?
Talent means nothing if you can’t hold onto the ball. Giants insider Dan Duggan recently floated the idea that Slayton might have the “yips,” referring to the mental block that affects an athlete’s ability and confidence to perform a basic task. We typically hear about the “yips” with pitchers who struggle to hit the strike zone.
Obviously, none of this is personal against Slayton. I’ve gone on record in saying I think the Giants would be foolish to trade him, even if I don’t trust him to be a starting-caliber receiver anymore.
Ideally for the Giants, they’ll survive this season with their patchwork, veteran-heavy receiver group and address the position next spring. Ohio State’s Jeremiah Smith and Texas’ Cam Coleman are considered among the 2027 draft’s top receivers.
For now, Harbaugh and the Giants should be ecstatic if they can get even moderate production from Slayton in his age-29 season. We’ll see whether this proves to be his final year with the Giants, though; he’s under contract through next year but at less than $7 million.
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