Giants' Hyatt: 'My chance will come and ... I will be ready'
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. --Jalin Hyatt was walking briskly out of the locker room and down the hallway in the bowels of MetLife Stadium. He was in street clothes, head down, blinders on, unable to hear a greeting from a reporter.
Hyatt still had on his eye black as he was reliving the disappointing 28-6 loss to the Minnesota Vikings in the New York Giants' season opener. He was out of the locker room and stadium quickly without a shower after logging just 15 total snaps, and just four through the first three quarters of the Week 1 contest. The second-year receiver then played just 11 snaps in a 21-18 Week 2 loss to the Washington Commanders.
He's had one target, a drop in the fourth quarter of the opener. It was a high throw and required a leaping grab, but one that Hyatt concedes he should have made.
Bottom line: No catches and one target in two games this season.
"Would've looked at you crazy," Hyatt said if he was told that would be the case prior to the season. "It is definitely disappointing. I'm not going to sit here and act like I'm perfectly fine with it. I'm not. But it's like, 'What can I do now?' It's either I can sit here and pout and be mad at the world and not get better, or I can keep attacking the days and keep getting better at practice."
This is a far cry from what was expected from the third-round pick out of Tennessee whom the Giants traded up for in the 2023 NFL draft. Hyatt had a strong offseason and spent most of the summer as the team's No. 2 receiver opposite rookie Malik Nabers this spring and throughout training camp.
Then something changed. Hyatt fell behind Darius Slayton on the depth chart some time in late August around the second preseason game against the Houston Texans. He knew he and Slayton were competing, but it still seemed like a complete 180, and something that hasn't changed much through two weeks.
The Giants' answer is that Slayton, the proven veteran, is the better option at this point.
"Again, that's not because of Jalin Hyatt," coach Brian Daboll said. "[Slayton] is doing a nice job with his opportunities of doing the things that he needs to do. And then we sprinkle in Hyatt in particular plays. And then [rookie wide receiver Malik] Nabers is ... he's been on the field most of the time ... [Hyatt will] be ready to go when his number is called."
Daboll told Hyatt as recently as Wednesday morning that his opportunities would come. Just be patient. Hyatt appeared fully engaged and was one of the first in line for wide receiver drills at practice. He and Daboll had what seemed to be a positive interaction between reps.
It reinforces that Hyatt has done a good job staying positive through this. He's a competitor, and it's only natural to want more playing time and opportunities, but he knows it must be earned.
His position coach, Mike Groh, thinks he's handling it like a pro.
"He was locked in," the Giants wide receivers coach said after the opener. "He was ready to go the entire game."
There was a moment late in the summer when it appeared this might go sideways. Unhappy with the situation, Hyatt said during practice that if the Giants weren't going to use him, they should trade him, multiple team sources told ESPN.
That does not appear it will happen. Hyatt is still in their plans.
New York's deal to acquire Hyatt cost them a fourth-round pick. They made it known early last season they wanted him to play as a rookie with the intention he would be a big part of their future.
Hyatt had 23 catches for 373 yards (16.2 yards per reception) with the Giants struggling to throw the football most of the 2023 season. He worked hard on his game this offseason, and there seemed to be improvement. Hyatt made plays throughout training camp and was making catches through contact, an upgrade from the previous year.
"I felt like I've gotten better in training camp and OTAs. Felt like I took that next stride that I needed to take as far as my routes, as far as knowing the playbook, as far as getting my alignment, knowing my assignment, getting the job done. And obviously when opportunities come, taking advantage of it," Hyatt said.
"I thought I had a very, very good training camp and they told me I did. They told me I had a great training camp, but there are things that I can't control, and I am disappointed about it, but at the end of the day, I'm just going to keep getting better and my chance will come, and when it comes I will be ready."
The appearance in training camp was that Hyatt and Slayton would split time and possibly get on the field together whenever Nabers needed a break. Hyatt was another piece that Schoen and Daboll needed to become a substantial player in order for their program to show growth.
Hyatt's teammates saw an improved player primed for a potential breakout year.
"You can definitely see the work he put in this offseason. The route running, last year obviously he was very much a vertical threat, still is, but it has helped develop his other routes more in terms of getting out of his breaks and the way he's been attacking the football, especially on in-breaking and out-breaking routes," said backup quarterback Tommy DeVito, a close friend of Hyatt. "He's been really quarterback-friendly and come a long way. Look forward to more growth."
It helps that Hyatt was in a similar situation at Tennessee. He didn't win the starting job during his sophomore season and it affected his confidence. He wanted to leave the program. But he stuck it out and eventually became the Biletnikoff Award winner, given to the nation's top wide receiver, during his junior season.
That reiterates to Hyatt that better times are on the horizon with the Giants.
"My time will come. Trust me, it will," Hyatt said. "And if it's not now, it will be soon. So I'm not really worried about it right now because I know I'm going to take over sooner or later."
