It didn't take the New York Giants long to pull the rip cord on the Odell Beckham Jr. reunion — three games, to be exact. The veteran wide receiver was released after a few catchless outings, but he didn't really get much of a shot, just like Darius Slayton.
Frankly, Beckham not panning out was predictable from the moment the ink dried. Nobody envisioned Slayton, formerly the team's longest-tenured player, sticking around with the John Harbaugh-led Giants for only a cup of coffee. Things are clearly being done differently with a new sheriff in town, though to what end, when the club's depleting an already thin position group?
Harbaugh and Co. are oddly operating as if they have wideouts to burn. While Beckham was a non-factor and his unceremonious exit makes sense, Slayton, who landed with the Indianapolis Colts, could've served a meaningful role. Unless there's another move in the works that we don't know about, the front office is badly misjudging their talent (or lack thereof).
Giants' Odell Beckham Jr. release makes cutting Darius Slayton look even sillier
The logic behind New York's decision to part ways with Slayton days ahead of Week 1 remains unclear. They reportedly tried to trade the 29-year-old before ultimately cutting their losses, despite already owing him nearly $10 million guaranteed for 2026. Harbaugh's generic explanation didn't pass the sniff test.
Wondering who the quarterback, never mind the backup, can trust beyond star receiver Malik Nabers and tight end Isaiah Likely has been an open question. The G-Men took desperate offseason fliers on guys well past their prime, specifically Beckham and JuJu Smith-Schuster, who aren't on the roster now. You mean to tell us that there wasn't enough room for Slayton?
For better or worse, the Giants' passing attack is highly concentrated. Nabers and Likely have combined for a 49.4 percent target share and collected 45.7 percent of the air yards through three contests. The pass-catching trio of third-round rookie Malachi Fields, Darnell Mooney and Theo Johnson have functioned as auxiliary pieces at best.
Slayton isn't anyone's definition of a dynamic playmaker, as Big Blue Nation knows firsthand. He's one of 33 WRs with at least 20 drops since 2021; not great, Bob! However, the Colts newcomer would've easily slotted in as third fiddle to Nabers and Likely.
Fields has yet to show he can make a meaningful contribution in the passing game (his blocking efforts deserve recognition, nonetheless). The Notre Dame product has mostly run go, in/dig and hitch routes so far, which is exactly what Slayton did in New York. Alas, one has a track record of serviceable NFL production while the other is still finding their bearings.
Lest we forget, Nabers is working his way back from a torn ACL and meniscus. The road to pre-injury form is long and may involve twists and turns. Having Slayton to avoid overtaxing the 2024 first-round pick too soon and to provide the Giants with another option might've been useful, don't you think?
Note: Advanced metrics courtesy of Fantasy Points' data suite 2.0 ($).
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