Detroit Lions should consider buying low on Darius Slayton

The New York Giants are reportedly shopping Darius Slayton, and the Detroit Lions should consider buying low.

The New York Giants may be looking to deal from their group of wide receivers, even if they’re apparently not actively shopping 2021 first-round pick Kadarius Toney. According to Dan Duggan of The Athletic (h/t to NFL Trade Rumors), the Giants have been shopping Darius Slayton.

Slayton was a fifth-round pick out of Auburn in 2019. In 43 career games, he has 124 catches for 1,830 yards and 13 touchdowns.

Slayton was rumored to possibly be on the move in the days leading up to the trade deadline last season, and the Lions were an easy team to tie to some level of interest. The New Orleans Saints were named as a team that attempted to make a deal at that time.

In 13 games last season, Slayton had a career-low 26 catches for 339 yards with two touchdowns. In 2020 he had a career-high 50 receptions for 751 yards, and as a rookie in 2019 he had 48 catches for 740 yards and a career-best eight touchdowns. He averaged at least 15 yards per catch in both 2019 and 2020.

Lions should consider buying low on Darius Slayton

Based on performance escalators, due to how many snaps he played in his first three seasons (2,114 total), Slayton’s 2022 salary bumped from $920,000 to $2.5 million. With that, the cap-strapped Giants are looking at any and all ways to shed salary and trading him is on the table.

The start of the draft coming on Thursday may drive some trade action around the league, and Slayton should only cost a late-round pick as a proverbial salary dump for the Giants. He’s just 25 years, and on an expiring contract. Multiple teams should have some interest, as long as the price is right.

Slayton has talent, and untapped potential a lackluster Giants’ quarterback situation and lagging offense never seemed to fully unveil. The situation in Detroit is better, if only marginally in some respects, but the Lions could consider a buy-low opportunity here.