Giants’ Joe Schoen Gets Honest on Hyatt

Foreshadowing the endless disappointments of the New York Giants’ 2024 season was receiver Jalin Hyatt’s troubling Week 1. It seemed like all summer, head coach Brian Daboll talked a big game about having an aggressive, explosive passing game. Hyatt, a 2023 third-round pick, figured to be a significant part of those plans. He was targeted once in the blowout loss. He found his first catch in Week 6. Simply put, things haven’t gone as planned for Hyatt, whose game is predicated around making plays downfield. Frustration is inevitable with lackluster production and a lost season having come to its conclusion, and he recently landed on “We’ll see” as his evaluation of his future in New York. The chances of Hyatt living up to his Day 2 capital seem slim, but if there’s any chance of it happening with the Giants, it would likely be at the expense of the team’s longest-tenured receiver, Darius Slayton. General manager Joe Schoen spoke about Hyatt and his potential on Monday. “So, I asked him about that and his take on it was there was a question about Darius,” Schoen said. “If Darius wasn’t here, I think that was the, ‘We’ll see,’ comment, if Darius Slayton wasn’t here. But, I still got a lot of confidence in Jalin. Some of it comes down to his skill set, utilizing his skill set. He’s a vertical guy that can take the top off and can run. He’s an explosive playmaker.” Slayton, conveniently for Hyatt, is set to become an unrestricted free agent in March. Slayton, as the boundary receiver opposite receiver Malik Nabers, is tasked with stretching the field and running clear-out routes more often than Nabers and Robinson, who dictate more targets closer to the line of scrimmage.

Thus, it’s no wonder why Hyatt couldn’t see the field when Slayton was healthy, and it’s no coincidence Hyatt had his best game of the year (four targets for four catches and 39 yards) in the veteran’s one-game absence. He fared better in that role than he did in Nabers role or while rotating in as the fourth receiver. Hyatt finished his second season with 19 targets, eight catches, and 62 yards. He did not find the end zone. That’s not necessarily all his fault. New York also had fewer downfield opportunities in 2024 thanks to quarterback Daniel Jones’ struggles and the limited abilities of the passers who replaced him. Schoen must rectify that in the coming months. “So, part of it starts with getting somebody in here that can hopefully utilize his skill set,” Schoen said. “With Wan’Dale in the slot, he had 93 catches. You guys saw Nabers this year. Then also having a vertical guy that can take the top off. Theo (Johnson) had a really good rookie season. Really came on, really improved, really excited about him. Then you saw what (Tyrone) Tracy did. So, there’s some young core pieces on offense that have different skill sets that can provide some explosive plays. Get the right quarterback in here and hopefully we can utilize him.”