During Monday night’s loss to the Dallas Cowboys, the New York Giants’ complicated wide receiver situation got a little more complicated when Sterling Shepard, the longest-tenured Giant, went down in the closing moments, tearing his ACL.
With Shepard gone, the Giants will need others to step up in his absence. Rookie Wan’Dale Robinson has been out since Week 1, while Kadarius Toney continues to be hamstrung by injury and Kenny Golladay underperforms.
The name we’ve probably heard the least since the season started is Darius Slayton, who came into the league with quarterback Daniel Jones in 2019. Slayton had a very impressive rookie campaign but since then, has had trouble replicating that production.
Slayton was questionable to make the roster and at times this offseason many wondered if he was going to be traded. Despite all the rumors and lack of playing time, Slayton has remained completely professional, even taking a pay cut to help benefit the team.
“Slay’s been a pro. All those guys will be out there working this week, and we’ll try to put them in the best positions we can. But he’s been a pro, and he’ll be ready to go,” head coach Brian Daboll told reporters.
Slayton has been out of the wide receiver rotation but with the position growing thin, his name may be called to step up in a big way. Quarterback Daniel Jones certainly has a lot of trust in him.
“Darius is a guy I have a lot of trust in, a lot of faith in, and I know he’s working hard. As far as the game plan going forward, we’ll see how it works out, but I have a lot of faith and confidence in him,” Jones said.
With Robinson and Toney likely to miss Sunday’s game against the Chicago Bears, Slayton will undoubtedly be thrust into a key role. If the offensive line can hold up a little better, his speed should help open things up down the field.
