The New York Giants’ crowded wide receiver room is struggling to balance the playing time and workloads being split between the playmakers. Rookie sensation Malik Nabers is off to a historic start in his NFL career but it has been fueled by an intense workload and league-leading 52 targets. Meanwhile, slot receiver Wan’Dale Robinson and veteran wideout Darius Slayton have been vying to become a sound secondary option alongside Nabers.
Robinson has performed well and firmly solidified himself as the team’s No. 2 receiver, even though he plays primarily out of the slot. Slayton, on the other hand, has not played particularly well and could have his role (or even his future) with the team called into question.
The Giants need to find ways to give Jalin Hyatt more playing time
Amidst Slayton’s struggles has been an outcry from Giants fans to get second-year wideout Jalin Hyatt on the field. The 2023 third-round pick has barely seen any playing time this season, playing just 51 snaps and receiving three targets with zero receptions through four games.
Hyatt was a prospect with immense potential coming out of the draft last year and his talent flashed on several occasions during his rookie campaign. The expectation was for Hyatt to step into a larger role and become more of an impactful player in his second season. That plan has not come to fruition, however, as the Giants have been hesitant to give Hyatt any playing time over Slayton.
But Slayton is no longer pulling his weight this season. He’s brought in 10 receptions for 122 yards through for weeks with a career-low average of 12.2 yards per reception. Slayton has also dropped a few key passes, calling his status as a “reliable and consistent” receiver into question. The Giants need to start giving Hyatt some more playing time.
Darius Slayton needs a change of scenery
In all likelihood, the Giants aren’t going to turn their season around and make some shocking run into the postseason. They are 1-3, sitting in last place in an awkward NFC East division that they have gone 0-2 against. With that in mind, some of the decisions that the Giants make this season need to have a focus on the future. One example of that could be giving the 23-year-old Hyatt more playing time and opportunities to develop.
Another example could be trading away Slayton for future draft capital. Adding more picks to general manager Joe Schoen’s arsenal would help him inject talent into a middling roster in the 2025 offseason and hopefully spark a turnaround next season.
A change of scenery might also be beneficial to Slayton. He has demonstrated in years past that he is a solid and reliable playmaker, leading the Giants in receiving in four of the last five seasons and putting up at least 700 yards in each of those team-leading campaigns. Nothing is stopping Slayton from reaching that 700-yard threshold once again on a different team, but the opportunity doesn’t seem present with the currently-constructed Giants offense.
Slayton is also in a contract year and his poor performances with this struggling Giants team could greatly affect his chances of getting paid in the offseason. Playing in a better offense that features him more as a leading receiver could give Slayton the opportunity to earn the pay raise he demanded (and ultimately did not receive) earlier this year.
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Trading Slayton to the Kansas City Chiefs could make sense for all parties
Enter the reigning Super Bowl champions. The Kansas City Chiefs have dealt with a plague of injuries to their offensive lineup. Things went from bad to worse in Week 4 after their leading receiver Rashee Rice went down with a knee injury (suspected to be a torn ACL) during the Chiefs’ win over the Chargers. After already losing Hollywood Brown for most likely the rest of the season, the Chiefs are in desperate need of some wide receiver support.
As The Athletic’s Dan Duggan pointed out, Slayton would probably step into the Chiefs’ lineup and immediately become the team’s WR1. That kind of opportunity being the leading man in an offense with superstar Patrick Mahomes throwing him the ball could spark a resurgence and maybe even a career year for Slayton.
A trade sending Slayton from the Giants to the Chiefs makes sense for all parties involved. Whether or not the Giants are willing to deal Slayton remains to be seen. But if they are going to send the 2019 fifth-round pick anywhere, chances are the Chiefs will be interested and could make a compelling pitch to both the Giants and Slayton.
