Darius Slayton once fell back on one of Drake’s albums to get through heartache.
Now he could turn the rapper’s hit “Started from the bottom” into his anthem for the season.
Seven weeks after his career low points of taking a pay cut just to avoid his release from the salary cap-strapped Giants, getting listed No. 7 on the depth chart at receiver and being a healthy scratch for the season-opener, Slayton was the clear answer Sunday to where the offense turns when Saquon Barkley and Daniel Jones have no place to run. He had team-highs of six targets, five catches and 66 receiving yards in a 27-13 loss to the Seahawks.
“Darius has been very dependable in everything we’ve asked him to do,” receivers coach Mike Groh said before the game. “Everybody talks about his speed, so that element has been a good weapon for us. He’s just settled into a groove.”
Barkley ranks No. 2 in the NFL in yards from scrimmage (986) and No. 2 in percentage of his team’s yards from scrimmage (35.8). Jones is second on the Giants with 336 (passing yards do not count). Third is … the surprising Slayton, who has all 232 of his in the last five games (4-1 record).
Darius Slayton reacts during the Giants’ loss to the Seahawks. Getty Images“I try to get open and [Jones] normally throws good balls that are easy to catch,” Slayton said. “We’ve been able to convert on some of them, but obviously we need to do a little bit more going forward. From a receiver standpoint, I think we need to do a better job of getting open, making plays on the ball.”
As Drake sang in 2013, “Started from the bottom, now we’re here. Started from the bottom, now my whole team here.”
“Slay is a team favorite in the locker room,” said safety Julian Love, who is experienced fighting his way from the chopping block to invaluable starter. “It’s tough to get from that place to where he is now. It takes a lot of dedication and inner motivation. He’s fought through it, and he’s making some big plays for us.”
The Giants are one of just three teams (Rams and Titans) without three or more players with at least 300 yards from scrimmage. Six teams have six or more players with more than 232 yards from scrimmage, which speaks to the Giants’ overreliance on Barkley and the need for Slayton to stay hot.
“I’ve been part of teams where it’s balanced and I’ve been part of teams where it’s high on one end or the other,” head coach Brian Daboll said. “Darius has worked hard, kept his head down and been a good teammate, and you are starting to see some of the results. He’s earned the playing time he’s gotten here the last few weeks. We’ll continue to need him to keep improving and make those plays for us.”
One important stat that doesn’t show up in the box score is Slayton’s knack for drawing timely penalties.
Opponents have committed four penalties (three pass interference and an unnecessary roughness) totaling 57 yards against Slayton on four drives resulting in 24 total points. So, Slayton has more yardage from penalties alone than Kenny Golladay and the now-traded Kadarius Toney — both of whom were ahead of him at the start of the season — have total yards combined (45). Three penalties happened in the red zone and led to a fresh set of downs and ultimately game-winning fourth-quarter touchdowns.
“He’s done a good job of stressing the opposing defensive back by getting their RPMs up because he can play fast,” Groh said. “Anytime that there is that threat of the vertical game, I think that puts the defensive back on his heels and he has a tendency to grab. We want to finish those plays with the ball as often as we can, but those [three pass interference penalties] have been significant plays in all three of those games.”
If the Giants don’t add a receiver before Tuesday’s 4 p.m. trade deadline, and with Kenny Golladay (knee) not guaranteed to return from a four-game absence even after the bye, Slayton’s opportunities should continue to increase. Even if the Giants do address their biggest shortage, a newcomer likely won’t replicate Slayton’s four-year chemistry with Jones.
“I’ve always said that I have a lot of trust and confidence in him to make plays, and he’s stepped up and been that guy for us,” Jones said. “We’ll continue to look for him. Having played together a lot, understanding each other, where he’s going to be and how he’s going to read certain looks, is a big piece of that.”
