New York Giants' Darius Slayton on Russell Wilson and the 'clarity' he provides

USA Today

25-07-2025

The New York Giants started four different players at quarterback last season, and as you can figure, they were a mess on offense.
This year, they have four healthy quarterbacks and should not be concerned about either quality or quantity. The quarterback room has been revamped with veterans Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston joining fan favorite Tommy DeVito and first-round pick Jaxson Dart.
It's been made clear that Wilson, a former Super Bowl champion and 10-time Pro Bowler, is the starter. Thus far in camp, he's already upgraded the Giants' sagging offense, which has been at the bottom of the league the past two seasons.
Veteran wide receiver Darius Slayton, who, along with Pro Bowl defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence, is one of the most senior Giants, told reporters on Thursday that Wilson's takeover has gone smoothly.
"Probably just some clarity," Slayton said when asked what Wilson brings. "He's been playing football for a long time, so he knows what's worked for him and his career. He knows what he likes, what he doesn't like, and that makes it really simple on all of us, just be able to get on the same page as him.
"It's been nice having him around. Been a good first two days for us. Obviously, camp is a little bit different than OTA's -- a little bit higher intensity, a little more team periods, things like that, where you get to play a little bit closer and closer to real football. It's been a good two days, and I think Russ has operated well."
Wilson brings a new element to the Giants' huddle -- a passion for the game along with a level of experience and intelligence they haven't had in years. He is the master of the deep ball. The Giants have not been proficient when it comes to throwing deep in recent years.
In the first two days, Wilson showed off a bit, making good use of his two top young wideouts, Malik Nabers and Wan'Dale Robinson. Slayton likes what he's seen so far.
"Yeah, you see flashes like Wan'Dale made a play down the field. That was kind of a situational period," he said. "Yesterday, Malik made a couple plays down the field, so you see the flashes kind of early on. We're in the red zone, the high reds, so we literally haven't even gotten to the full field yet, but you kind of see flashes of plays being made. That's what I'll say. I think the first few days, we've done a pretty solid job so far, but you definitely see flashes."
Slayton is entering his seventh year in blue and has only experienced one winning season. He has been through some lean times here and finally sees the tide turning for him and his team.
"When -- I'll say when -- when we get it turned around and when we get this thing going in the right direction, I think for me specifically, it's been a good six years," he said. "It's been a long six years, but I've looked forward to every year, and obviously, I don't want to see any team in the league succeed more than I want to see the Giants. Obviously, my whole career has been invested here. Most of my adult life has been invested in the New Jersey and New York area, so it'll be huge for me to be able to win here when my time is done."