The Green Bay Packers are off to a 3-1 start this season but there is plenty of room for improvement. The defense, which coming into the season was expected to be among the best in the league, has been inconsistent thus far.
They have some truly dominant stretches but have had some disappointing ones as well. Giving up 24 points to the combination of Brian Hoyer and rookie Bailey Zappe and needing a walk-off field goal by Mason Crosby in overtime to beat them and the New England Patriots certainly wasn’t how they had it drawn up.
Alas, a win is a win and the Packers are now on a three-game winning streak. They will be taking their show on the road in Week 5, heading across the pond to face off with the New York Giants in London.
The Giants are a surprising 3-1 on the season as well, as the Packers will face a stiffer than anticipated test against Big Blue. While preparing for this game, they will be pouring over a ton of film and could come away feeling as if they should make a call to New York about a potential trade.
Green Bay’s offense has been shaky at times as well. Despite having Aaron Rodgers as the starting quarterback, there is only so much that he can do with the weapons around him. They could certainly use a little more veteran depth and the Giants could provide that to them.
Darius Slayton is someone that the Packers could have their eyes on as a potential trade candidate. Slayton is buried on the depth chart currently and only stepped on the field in Week 4 because of injuries at the position.
Things got off to a smashing start for Slayton in his NFL career, as he had 1,491 yards in his first two seasons in the league after being selected in the fifth round of the 2019 NFL Draft. However, he has not come close to replicating that success the last two seasons, battling injuries and drops along the way.
On the lookout for a veteran that can still make an impact, Slayton could appeal to Green Bay. They had to place Sammy Watkins on IR last week, leaving Allen Lazard, Randall Cobb and rookies Romeo Doubs and Christian Watson atop the wide receiver depth chart.
Doubs has been coming into his own the last two weeks, building a nice rapport with Rodgers. Slayton would provide the team with insurance on the perimeter as a deep threat that can stretch the defense, something they are lacking with Marquez Valdes-Scantling now with the Kansas City Chiefs.
Slayton was a cut candidate this offseason before agreeing to a restructured contract. He has already been a healthy scratch once this season as Slayton isn’t a part of the Giants’ game plan when the team is healthy at wide receiver. A late-round pick should be enough to get a deal done.
