National Football League

Darius Slayton believes he is difference-maker in Giants offense

Updated Jul. 6, 2023 6:31 p.m. ET

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The New York Giants added a few pass-catchers this offseason, but could the game-changing deep threat actually come from within?

Giants wide receiver Darius Slayton argued that he's a difference-maker on the outside and his production to date is misleading due to the amount of quality playmakers that have been around him over his four years with Big Blue.

"You see this guy go for 1,010 [yards] or see a guy go for 100 yards every week, and you go, ‘He’s really good,’" Slayton told the New York Post on Thursday. "Some of these guys play with nobody. I play with Saquon [Barkley]. Where do you think the ball is going first? Not me. We had Shep, Evan Engram and now Darren.

"I didn’t play with just a bunch of bums. That’s a little annoying because at the end of the day, it’s not like I’ve ever been the only person or one person to get the ball, whereas somebody [else] is. It is what it is. At the end of the day, I just play to win. As long as the Giants win, I’ll be alright."

After an underwhelming 2021 campaign, one that saw him reel in just 26 receptions, Slayton came back to life last season, totaling 46 receptions for 724 yards and two touchdowns. Slayton — who New York selected in the fifth round of the 2019 NFL Draft out of Auburn — led the Giants in receiving yards (740) and receiving touchdowns (eight) in his 2019 rookie season.

While New York went 9-7-1, claimed the No. 2 NFC wild card and beat the Minnesota Vikings in the NFC wild-card round last season, its passing game lacked for the bulk of the season. The Giants averaged just 185.7 passing yards per game in the regular season, good for 26th in the NFL, and quarterback Daniel Jones — who was re-signed to a four-year, $160 million deal — threw for just 135 yards in the team's blowout NFC Divisional round loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.

New York acquired tight end Darren Waller from the Las Vegas Raiders for the No. 100 pick in the 2023 NFL Draft this offseason. The Giants then traded up to select Tennessee wide receiver Jalin Hyatt at No. 73. This came after they signed former Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Parris Campbell to a one-year deal.

"I believe in myself, I believe in my ability, I believe in the work I put in the offseason," Slayton said. "Whether we add 10 guys, whether we add all of you guys, I believe I’ll find my way on the field."

New York's wide receiver room includes Slayton, Campbell, Hyatt, the second-year Wan'Dale Robinson — a second-round draft selection in 2022 who tore his ACL in November of last season — and Isaiah Hodgins, who was a late-season emergence after being claimed off the Buffalo Bills practice squad.

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