New York Giants wide receiver Darius Slayton has expressed optimism about the team's direction under head coach John Harbaugh, citing a renewed sense of accountability and a healthier approach to the offense. Slayton, the longest-tenured Giant, stated that Harbaugh embodies the "Tom Coughlin-esque" quality he desired in a new leader.
"I definitely think he’s what we needed," Slayton said after a recent practice. "There’s definitely been a sense of accountability off the rip, which has been huge for us. Overall, there’s no room for anybody to just do whatever they want. Everybody has to be on time, everybody has to show effort at practice — or you’ll be held accountable."
Slayton is currently practicing with the starters after recovering from offseason sports hernia surgery on both legs, a procedure he postponed throughout the previous season. He finds himself in a significantly altered receiver room, which now includes additions like Darnell Mooney, Calvin Austin, Braxton Berrios, Juju Smith-Schuster, and rookie Malachi Fields. The return of Odell Beckham Jr. also adds to the dynamic.
"I literally just missed Odell on the front end — he almost felt like a fake unicorn, mythical creature that departed before I came," Slayton remarked about Beckham. "There’s a lot of really good football players in our room right now. It’s raised the competition level."
Coming off a statistically disappointing 2023 season where he recorded 37 catches for 538 yards and one touchdown, Slayton attributes his performance decline largely to injuries. "First and foremost is getting healthy — I need to be able to run and move how I am accustomed to," he stated. "Honestly, once that’s all done, I believe I’ll play to a level that I need to play at."
Despite acknowledging that injuries played a significant role, Slayton takes personal responsibility, adding, "I could’ve played better regardless. But it’s different when maybe you are used to being able to catch the ball a little bit easier and you’re having to strain a little bit more and come up an inch short here or there. But, at the end of the day, if you are out there, you have to make it happen."
Harbaugh has shown confidence in Slayton, noting his speed and commitment. "I like him," Harbaugh said. "Hard worker, very determined, wants to do well. I think he’s getting his strength back, basically. [Thursday], he looked really fast. I feel like he’s on his way back and looking for big things."
The offensive scheme under new coordinator Matt Nagy reportedly offers more versatility compared to the previous complex playbook. Slayton indicated that the new system is more intuitive, with play calls containing clues that help receivers understand their roles.
"It really has just been a mixed bag of everybody getting a shot at almost everything," Slayton explained. "It’s a little simpler as far as conceptually, but it has a lot of variety to it – you could end up in a lot of different spots. Our last offense, you just had to hard-memorize a lot of things, whereas this one is a little more intuitive. There are clues in the play call, so to speak, where you know, ‘If I hear this word or that word, either I know exactly what I have or I have an idea of what I have.’"
Slayton's position on the roster appears secure alongside Malik Nabers, given his $15.9 million salary-cap charge makes cutting him financially unadvantageous for the team. He also sees himself as a versatile player, dispelling any notion of being solely an "Old Guy" on the team, despite being the sole remaining Giant from his draft class and having played under four previous head coaches.
"Already in this camp, he’s already kind of expressed that … if somebody’s not doing something up to the echelon that you want them to, you go to them, you make it clear to them that that’s not what we’re going to do around here, then they have a chance to respond," Slayton said of Harbaugh's coaching style. "He has gotten a positive response out of the individuals that he’s done that with. So, I think that’s really big for a football team."