A week after the Steelers saw a potential trade target in WR Christian Kirk break his collarbone to end his season in Week 8, New York Giants WR Darius Slayton, who has also been linked to the Steelers as a trade candidate, left New York’s Week 9 game against the Washington Commanders in the fourth quarter with an injury.
Slayton was slow to get up following a defensive pass interference call against Washington and headed to the sideline and later the blue medical tent, and per Charlotte Carroll of The Athletic, Slayton headed to the locker room.
Per ESPN’s Jordan Raanan, Slayton is being evaluated for a concussion.
Hopefully, it’s not severe enough to cause Slayton to miss further time, but at least unlike Kirk’s injury, a concussion isn’t something that should knock Slayton out for the season. He was walking around on the sideline after coming off the field, but he did appear to be in some measure of pain and was grabbing his head at one point.
If Slayton is unavailable for trade due to injury, the Steelers, who reportedly are looking to add a receiver before the Tuesday deadline, would turn to options such as WR Mike Williams or WR Adam Thielen, two other receivers who are on the market.
It would be a brutal blow for Slayton and the Steelers if he did have to miss time. With Kirk’s injury and the Steelers missing out on Brandon Aiyuk this offseason and Davante Adams a few weeks ago, the wide receiver options for Pittsburgh are thinning, and Slayton needing to miss time would likely knock him off Pittsburgh’s radar and keep him in New York through the end of the season.
With the Giants game now under the two-minute warning with the Commanders driving, it’s unlikely Slayton will return to the game. We’ll likely hear more on the severity of his injury and if he did indeed suffer a concussion from head coach Brian Daboll after the game, and Slayton’s health and status is something to keep an eye on ahead of Tuesday’s deadline.
