Drops have followed Darius Slayton through much of his Giants career, and the issue is starting to look bigger than a bad stretch.
The Athletic’s Dan Duggan believes Slayton may have developed the “yips” after another season defined by missed chances. Pro Football Reference charged Slayton with five drops on 63 targets, a rate of nearly eight percent. That’s up from his career mark of 6.3 percent.
Slayton has never said anything publicly to suggest confidence problems or the yips are part of the picture. Still, the concern is hard to ignore, especially with New York’s receiver situation looking thin.
The Giants are in big trouble if Darius Slayton truly has the 'yips'
For those unfamiliar, the yips are easiest to picture through a kicker who misses once and then can’t shake the mental block, even on a routine attempt. Baseball fans may remember former St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Rick Ankiel, who dealt with the yips in the early 2000s before eventually moving to the outfield and, later, finishing his career with the New York Mets.
It’s a brutal problem, and one that can linger. Former Minnesota Vikings kicker Blair Walsh never recovered after his missed chip-shot field goal in a playoff loss to the Seattle Seahawks. Former Dallas Cowboys kicker Brett Maher missed four extra points and had another blocked during the 2022-23 postseason, and he was out of the league by 2024 before taking over as Nebraska’s special teams coordinator.
New York also has other receiver questions hanging over camp. There have been no credible updates saying Malik Nabers could be ready for Week 1. Neither Darnell Mooney nor Calvin Austin III stood out during OTAs, and those sessions came while Nabers and Slayton were both absent, with Slayton recovering from offseason sports hernia surgery.
The 29-year-old is expected to be a full go when training camp opens later this month.
But being healthy won’t be enough. If Slayton keeps putting easy balls on the turf, the Giants are going to feel it. In a division that looks surprisingly winnable, there’s not much room for mistakes, and Slayton has to show why he’s the team’s longest-tenured player.
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