Darius Slayton sees 'explosive' Giants offense if all can stay together
Darius Slayton says he's really excited to have a healthy offensive unit on the field this season. Credit: Matthew Swensen/Matthew Swensen
The Giants have a lot of familiar faces at the offensive skill positions this season. Saquon Barkley at running back, Daniel Jones at quarterback, Evan Engram at tight end, and Sterling Shepard, Golden Tate and Darius Slayton at wide receiver, all are back with the team.
Now the hope is the Giants will be able to use all of them at the same time.
That’s something that, because of injuries and suspensions, never happened last year. The Giants' offense was never fully stocked with what should have been its assortment of frontline talent and on-paper starting players.
In 2020, they get another chance to try to play the way they were designed to play.
“I’m really looking forward to it,” said Slayton, the second-year receiver, in a virtual news conference on Wednesday. “I hope everybody can stay healthy this year and we can hopefully play a full 16 together.”
Slayton said he is curious to see what the team can do when all of the pieces are in place. With Jason Garrett as the new offensive coordinator and what should be an improved offensive line, the Giants' offense has an opportunity to be fairly dynamic.
“I think it’s a great potential,” wide receivers coach Tyke Tolbert said. “I’m looking forward to those guys being out on the field together and being healthy and having everyone contribute again.”
Again? More like finally!
“I think we have a really good chance to be explosive,” Slayton said. “I think we have a chance to be an explosive offense, a really efficient offense.”
Of course, that might hinge on having everyone available. At this point last season, they were already falling apart. Sterling Shepard broke his finger in the first practice of 2019 training camp. Corey Coleman tore his ACL in that same workout. And Tate’s four-game suspension was announced shortly after the team took the field last summer.
So far this summer, everyone has been on the field for the Giants.
“I definitely think it will be really important to have all of us out there at the same time,” Slayton said, “and I’m really excited for that.”
Tom Rock began covering sports for Newsday in 1996 and became its NFL columnist in 2022. He previously was Newsday's Giants beat writer beginning in 2008.
