The New York Giants’ decision to part ways with veteran wide receiver Darius Slayton is being viewed by some around the league as a promising sign for Malik Nabers’ availability in the season opener.
ESPN’s Dan Graziano said Tuesday on “Get Up” that Nabers appears ready after a long rehabilitation from a torn ACL.
“It sounds like [Malik Nabers is] going to be good to go for Sunday night,” Graziano said while discussing the roster move and its implications.
The Giants host the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday Night Football at MetLife Stadium, the first regular-season game of the John Harbaugh era. Kickoff is set for 8:20 p.m. ET.
Slayton, the team’s longest-tenured player, was released Monday. The fifth-round pick from 2019 spent seven seasons in New York and recorded 296 receptions for 4,435 yards and 22 touchdowns in 106 games.
He was entering the second year of a three-year, $36 million contract signed before the 2025 season and was due about $13 million this year. The post-June 1 release saves the Giants roughly $3.2 million against the 2026 salary cap while creating more than $12 million in dead money.
Slayton posted a brief message after the announcement.
“Grateful for my time in NY,” he wrote. “7 years a Giant nothing but love for one of the most prestigious organizations in the NFL. Excited to see what’s next.”
Nabers, the sixth overall pick in the 2024 draft, tore the ACL and meniscus in his right knee on Sept. 28, 2025, during a Week 4 win over the Los Angeles Chargers. He finished that season with 18 catches for 271 yards and two touchdowns in four games.
As a rookie, Nabers set a Giants single-season receptions record with 109 catches for 1,204 yards and seven touchdowns. He earned a Pro Bowl nod despite playing through a concussion that cost him two games.
The 23-year-old avoided the physically unable to perform list at the start of training camp and gradually increased his workload. He participated in individual and team drills in recent weeks as the Giants prepared for the Cowboys.
ESPN Giants reporter Jordan Raanan noted the roster implications shortly after Slayton’s release.
“Perhaps the biggest takeaway from Darius Slayton’s release: Bodes well for the prospects of Malik Nabers playing Week 1,” Raanan wrote. “Hard to imagine cutting into your WR depth if Nabers’ health is a concern.”
The Giants now list four wide receivers on the 53-man roster: Nabers, rookie third-round pick Malachi Fields, Darnell Mooney and Odell Beckham Jr. Braxton Berrios remains available from the practice squad as a potential elevation.
Slayton’s production declined last season to 37 receptions for 538 yards and one touchdown in 14 games. He also underwent core-muscle surgery in the spring and never fully regained his previous role under the new coaching staff.
Harbaugh’s offense is expected to feature fewer three-receiver sets, further reducing snaps for a player who had slipped down the depth chart. New York had been open to trading Slayton before final cuts but found no suitable deal.
The Cowboys game marks a high-profile start for quarterback Jaxson Dart, who made his first NFL start the night Nabers was injured last year. Having the team’s top playmaker available would give Dart a familiar target in a nationally televised NFC East matchup.
Nabers has said he wants to play every snap when he returns rather than operate on a limited pitch count. Team officials have described his progress as encouraging but have stopped short of an official declaration.
The first official Week 1 injury report is due later this week. Until then, the roster move itself is serving as the strongest public indicator that New York expects its star receiver to take the field Sunday night.
