INDIANAPOLIS — n was weighing curiosity from a few NFL groups when he turned on NBC’s “Sunday Night time Soccer.”
Accidents to extensive receivers throughout the NFL had created a direct want for assist, and Slayton was one of the established receivers available on the market, a confirmed deep risk who’d been unexpectedly minimize free by the s on the finish of coaching camp.
Then he noticed s receiver p, hopping to the sideline and unable to place any weight on his left leg.
“Clearly, I wasn’t cheering for that, however I knew that would offer some alternative right here,” Slayton stated.
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The match made an excessive amount of sense.
Whereas there are few NFL receivers who can match Pierce’s skill to get deep, Slayton has the pace to play the position, averaging 15.0 yards per catch over the course of a seven-year profession in New York.
No one else can come near Slayton’s expertise with Jones. Drafted within the fifth spherical of the identical 2019 class that Jones headlined, Slayton has caught 200 passes from Jones in his profession, greater than Jones has thrown to every other receiver.
“He's acquired pace, been in a position to get behind guys and have an effect on the protection that means,” Jones stated. “He's a superb route runner, a man who can separate in man-to-man protection and win constantly outdoors. … I've acquired quite a lot of confidence in him.”
The s desperately want a participant like Slayton with out Pierce. Pierce plans to rehabilitate the heel harm that knocked him out of Sunday evening’s recreation and return sooner or later this season, however the budding star will miss at the least 4 video games on injured reserve. There isn’t a timetable for his return.
Even with a compromised Pierce on the sphere the primary two weeks of the season, a Colts offense that’s predicated on producing explosive performs hasn’t been in a position to push the ball down the sphere.
Jones is averaging solely 6.1 yards per try after posting a career-high 8.1 in 2025.
“I believe you’ve acquired to attempt to muster up something you possibly can to create these from a scheme standpoint, and clearly, pace's a giant a part of it to create these chunk performs down the sphere,” Colts head coach Shane Steichen stated. “Including Slayton, he's a pace man. That'll assist.”
Discovering assistance on the road after two weeks shouldn’t be straightforward.
Slayton caught 37 passes for 538 yards and a landing, however he suffered a core harm late within the season that led to offseason surgical procedure. The 29-year-old spent many of the offseason rehabilitating the harm, then realized he is perhaps out of New York’s plans in coaching camp. Slayton was scheduled to rely $15.91 million towards the wage cap for the Giants this season, a excessive quantity for a receiver who appeared like a depth piece.
Indianapolis affords Slayton an opportunity to show he can nonetheless play.
“I really feel wholesome, really feel like I’m form of get again to my full self,” Slayton stated. “I’ll be capable to put that on show.”
How a lot Slayton will be capable to present immediately stays to be seen.
He was dwelling in Atlanta in the beginning of the week, flew to Indianapolis Tuesday morning, went by a barrage of bodily examinations and introductory handshakes, then began attempting to select up the offense on the fly with Colts receivers coach Reggie Wayne.
“Coach Wayne's most likely sick of me already,” Slayton joked. “I used to be with him final evening. I used to be with him once more this morning, and I'll most likely be with him once more tonight. So, we'll be spending quite a lot of time collectively over the following few days. However that's form of one of the simplest ways for me to have the ability to shut the hole is to attempt to simply take up as a lot data as I can.”
Studying an NFL offense on the fly isn’t straightforward.
However it occurs greater than the informal observer realizes. NFL groups are consistently including gamers to the roster to fill holes left by harm and, like Slayton, they’re typically wanted immediately.
“Typically talking, in the event you've been on this league for a short while, you've been uncovered to totally different offensive programs and buildings and naming programs and possibly passing ideas or simply ideas of all the pieces,” Colts offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter stated. “You're in a position to join the dots and generally hit the bottom operating a bit of bit quicker, however every man's a bit of bit totally different.”
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Slayton can’t exchange Pierce, who was in a position to command a four-year, $114 million deal this offseason due to his skill to get deep.
However he ought to be capable to run the deep routes that Pierce has dealt with in Steichen’s offense the previous 4 years, providing a risk who would possibly be capable to get a protection’s consideration.
“I believe it'll be actually good,” Steichen stated. “I imply, (Slayton and Jones) performed collectively loads, so clearly the timing and stuff, I believe they'll choose that up in a short time. He is aware of how he runs routes, and so I believe that mixture of the timing, the anticipation and the route element that he runs with Daniel ought to be good.”
Slayton has to select it up shortly.
The Colts don’t have a lot time to attend.
n and n cowl the Colts all season. Get extra protection on V and with the r.
Darius Slayton signing with Colts, right here's how he matches WR depth chart: 1t
— Nat Newell (@NatJNewell) 6
This text initially appeared on Indianapolis Star: e
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