At the start of the 2019 regular season, both Golden Tate and Darius Slayton of the New York Giants sat out due to suspension and injury. Both would end up being impactful forces on the offense, but one of the two took his game to another level.
Slayton, a fifth-round rookie out of Auburn, exploded onto the scene, recording a rookie-high eight touchdowns on 740 yards, despite missing the first two games of the season.
New head coach Joe Judge served as the WR coach for the New England Patriots in 2019, which gives him a solid idea of what his unit needs to look like if they’re to succeed in 2020. Slayton offers a substantial head start, and we should expect Judge to work with the young pass-catcher diligently, especially if the Giants wish to extract WR1 value.
However, the upcoming NFL Draft offers tons of quality in the wide receiver department, and we should expect the Giants to dip their hand in the pot. They also have to make a decision on Tate, who voided all of his guarantees after testing positive for PEDs.
Tate caught 49 passes, averaging 4.5 receptions per game, which was his lowest amount since 2013. He did haul in six scores, tied for the second-most in his career. At 32-years-old next season, GM Dave Gettleman might consider Tate a cut casualty, considering his $10.5 million cap hit next season.
The New York Giants should be ecstatic about Darius Slayton:
Beyond Tate and Sterling Shepard, Slayton is the option with the most potential. His route running abilities improved significantly as his rookie season progressed. In college, he was known for his straightaway speed and WR screen abilities, but his development in the slant-game offered rookie Daniel Jones more opportunity in the passing game.
The chemistry developing between Jones and Slayton is one of the more critical factors here. Expect the pair to be lethal during 2020.