Slayton Defends Giants QB Jones After Joint Practice

New York Giants receiver Malik Nabers will be the focal point of the passing offense. He’s expected to lead the team in just about every receiving statistic and draw 100+ targets from quarterback Daniel Jones.

But make no mistake, fellow 2019 NFL Draftee Darius Slayton will always be the apple of Jones’ eye.

The trusted receiver’s role is less steady with Nabers in the fold and receiver Jalin Hyatt competing with him for snaps, but if he’s had to campaign for New York’s favor, he did so on Thursday.

On Wednesday, Jones and the Giants had a mediocre day against the New York Jets in a joint practice preceding Saturday’s preseason contest. The offense struggled to get much going against an elite defense and the Aaron Rodgers-Garrett Wilson connection went viral for its mid-week success.

Slayton wasn’t having the backlash.

“They can walk away from yesterday, beat their chests, say they held us to whatever,” Slayton said, via the New York Daily News . “But in a real game, at the end of the day, if they were to play how they did, we would have ran the ball for a bazillion yards and we would’ve won the game. And if they came up, they would’ve gotten beat.”

Jets cornerback Sauce Gardner, notably, waved and blew kisses to his cross-stadium counterparts while walking off the practice field, satisfied with his performance. It was all in good fun – he won’t be playing on Saturday and knows many of his opponents personally – but rubbed some the wrong way nonetheless.

“What do you want DJ to do?” Slayton asked. “If DJ threw it up into double coverage, we’d be back on SportsCenter. But he checks it down and everybody’s like, ‘Oh man, we couldn’t get anything going today!’ It’s damned if you do, damned if you don’t.”

For Jones, it’s been a rocky camp; although even his inconsistencies feel like a privilege given his quick recovery from an ACL tear. At the very least, he’s healthy enough to bounce back, even if the emergence doesn’t come to fruition.

Barring injury, Slayton will be a legitimate contributor for an offense in dire need of explosive plays. Given Jones’ rapport with the veteran, fans can count on Slayton to be a key piece of the plan on pivotal passing downs.

Slayton has led the Giants in receiving four times in five years, posting at least 700 yards in each of those team-leading campaigns.

“Think about it,” Slayton playfully pleaded. “If he’s out there and launched a double-covered contested (pass), people are like, ‘What is he looking at?’ He checks it down to the running back, and it’s like, ‘Ah, man, the Giants couldn’t get anything going today.’”

Related: Giants' Nabers Reacts to Joint Practice vs. Jets

With Jones struggling last year and into camp, it’s clear the spotlight centered on the quarterback and the writing is on the wall. Anything less than marked improvement could end his tenure in New York , and that criticism is part of the job. Perhaps it’s not entirely fair, and that joint practice isn’t set up to showcase Jones’ talents.

But if the production doesn’t rebound when the bullets are flying, media criticism won’t be high on the team’s list of priorities. Finding a new quarterback will.