Giants injury news: Darius Slayton unlikely to travel to Germany

New York Giants wide receiver Darius Slayton is unlikely to travel to Munich, Germany for Sunday’s game against the Carolina Panthers, according to Giants head coach Brian Daboll.

The Giants leave for Munich Thursday night and Slayton, who was concussed during last Sunday’s loss to the Washington commanders, remains in the league’s concussion protocol.

Slayton, a free-agent-to-be, was involved in trade rumors before Tuesday’s NFL trade deadline but remained with New York.

Meanwhile, placekicker Graham Gano kicked well in practice on Wednesday and appears to be on track to kick in Germany.

Gano, on IR since suffering a right hamstring injury Week 2, is on injured reserve. The Giants opened Gano’s 21-day practice window on Wednesday, and it appears likely that Gano will be activated off IR in time to kick Sunday morning.

Daboll had said earlier this week that all practice squad players will travel to Germany. That means that placekicker Jude McAtamney, who made his NFL debut with a 31-yard field goal and an extra point on Sunday, will be in Germany in the event the Giants need to elevate him for the game.

Replacing Slayton

Slayton is third on the Giants in receptions with 32. He is second in receiving yards with 469 and is on pace for a career-high 886 receiving yards.

Slayton’s absence will provide a massive opportunity for second-year wide receiver Jalin Hyatt, who has had a disappointing season thus far. The 2023 third-round pick has just 1 catch for 6 yards on 8 targets. Hyatt has played just 12 combined snaps on offense over the past three weeks.

Veteran wide receiver Isaiah Hodgins, who has 1 catch for 5 yards in two games, is likely to be elevated from the practice squad to replace Slayton. Hodgins had 54 receptions in 25 games for the Giants in 2022 and 2023, but has been relegated to the practice squad this season.

Offensive line intrigue

Reporters on scene for practice indicated that starting left tackle Chris Hubbard was not on the field during the portion of practice open to media.

If there is something that will prevent Hubbard from playing, the Giants could go back to Josh Ezeudu as the starting left tackle vs. Carolina. Or, Jermaine Eluemunor could move to left tackle with Evan Neal starting at right tackle.