He’s quietly been a consistent performer for the New York Giants, but a bold prediction about how wide receiver Darius Slayton will fare during the 2026 NFL season has led to a “putrid” warning for new head coach John Harbaugh’s team.
The warning comes from Shaun Morash of Talkin’ Giants. He pulled no punches when responding to the New York Post’s Ryan Dunleavy predicting Slayton “will again lead the team in receiving yards.”
While he acknowledged Slayton’s “a lightning rod, given his drops and his association with a dark time for the franchise. Not unlike Dexter Lawrence or Saquon Barkley or Daniel Jones,” Dunleavy still believes “Slayton’s a quality NFL receiver. He’s got chemistry with Jaxson Dart that Malachi Fields and Darnell Mooney and Calvin Austin are still trying to develop.”
Dunleavy also pointed out how “multiple coaching staffs have raved about Darius Slayton being a quick study when it comes to learning an offense. He’s had to learn a bunch, so I expect he’ll be quick on Matt Nagy’s offense, and that I believe Malik Nabers is gonna miss significant time, probably ’till October.”
To say Morash didn’t like Dunleavy’s bold take Slayton will ultimately finish the next campaign having tallied “750-ish receiving yards” would be an understatement. The stunned reaction to this prediction isn’t just about Slayton’s recent form.
It’s also about the Giants having added a plethora of receivers around the veteran. Including a returning franchise hero, along with a proven Super Bowl winner.
Darius Slayton Prediction Reveals a “Putrid” Problem
Dunleavy was able to see the funny side of Morash’s irritable response, admitting, “I believe in Darius Slayton. But, if I didn’t, still worth it to see @ShaunMorash facial expressions.”
Morash was less than amused when he declared, “The Giants are a ‘putrid’ football team if Darius Slayton leads them in receiving yards this year.”
This blunt a rebuttal may not be a fair assessment of Slayton’s talents, but Morash did make a telling observation to refute the idea the wideout has the best chemistry with second-year quarterback Dart.
Yes, he caught from passes from Dart during the latter’s rookie campaign, but Slayton has also missed time this offseason recovering from his own surgery. It means newcomers like Mooney and JuJu Smith-Schuster, as well as familiar face Odell Beckham Jr., have had ample chances to build their own rapports with Dart and potentially overtake Slayton in the pecking order.
That potential becomes greater when looking at who else the Giants have available to catch passes while go-to target Nabers remains on the shelf.
Giants Overloaded With Intriguing Receivers
Aside from Beckham, Smith-Schuster and Mooney, the Giants have this year’s third-round pick Fields. He’s a big-bodied target who’s already being tabbed to play a key role as a rookie.
Fields can earn his share of targets, but the Giants won’t overlook an unheralded veteran who’s outplaying Beckham and others this offseason. Nor will Harbaugh expect his former Baltimore Ravens tight end Isaiah Likely to be anything other than a feature of a new-look passing game.
Likely has wide receiver-type skills as a roving target, although his natural dynamism never translated into elite production for the Ravens. That should change on Nagy’s watch, particularly since the experienced play-caller worked with Travis Kelce, the premier tight end in the league for most of the last decade, with the Kansas City Chiefs.
This year’s Giants simply have too many new and intriguing pass-catchers to believe they will lean on Slayton’s savvy and vertical speed the way many rebuilding teams did in the past.
Giants Warned About ‘Putrid’ Prediction for Darius Slayton