The New York Giants’ momentum after beating the Chargers vanished with Malik Nabers’ season-ending ACL tear. That blow was only the beginning. A 26-14 loss to the Saints and Darius Slayton’s injury exposed their offensive depth in Week 5. Head coach Brian Daboll now faces a critical test of roster resilience.

Daboll finally addressed the Giants’ roster concerns and made it clear that the young receivers must be ready to step up. “I thought that the distribution of tight ends and receivers doesn’t really matter,” the head coach said. “To me, it was pretty even across the board. The young guys will have to make sure that they’re on top of things. They all gotta be ready to go,” he added.

Daboll isn’t panicking. He kept his calm and pointed to the depth chart as part of the plan. “There’s a possibility you could lose two running backs and have no running backs. It’s the NFL; injuries are going to happen. We had five wide receivers, four tight ends in case something happened to one of them, to continue with our plan throughout the game,” he said after the Saints’ loss.

It’s clear he is relying on the current roster and trusting the younger players to step up in Nabers’ absence. But is that the right move?

Right now, the New York Giants’ wide receiver group looks very weak. They have Darius Slayton, Wan’Dale Robinson, Jalin Hyatt, Beaux Collins, and Gunner Olszewski. Hyatt hasn’t made an impact since his rookie year, Slayton has been up and down for a long time, and Collins is still adjusting to the NFL level.

And Sunday didn’t exactly inspire confidence. Slayton dropped two critical passes and fumbled late in the first half. Hyatt? Still a ghost. Robinson had five catches for just 30 yards, which tells you everything you need to know about how stagnant this offense looked without Nabers stretching the field. The group just didn’t scare anyone.

And judging by Daboll’s words, it doesn’t seem like the Giants will be shopping for outside help, at least not yet. The team could instead elevate someone from the practice squad.

Ihmir Smith-Marsette, Lil’Jordan Humphrey, and Dalen Cambre are all waiting in the wings. Humphrey might get the first call-up; he had some nice chemistry with rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart during camp and offers some size.

Let’s be real. There’s no lineup or rotation that can truly replace what Malik Nabers brought to the New York Giants. He was their top wide receiver, and now he is out for the season with an ACL injury. A setback whose effect is amplified after Brian Daboll gets even more bad news.

Brian Daboll gets hit with a double blow

If one thought the Giants’ offensive situation couldn’t get worse after Malik Nabers’ injury, they’d be wrong. The loss to the Saints was a gut punch, which hit even harder when WR Darius Slayton got injured.

Slayton left Sunday’s loss to the New Orleans Saints in the fourth quarter with a hamstring injury. And let’s be honest, he wasn’t having the game of his life. The Giants started off well and got off to a 14-3 advantage, but a few miscues and most importantly, Slayton’s fumble turned the game around.

Still, you can’t downplay how important Slayton is to this offense.

Especially now that Malik Nabers is sidelined. Losing Slayton for even a week or two would sting, and how quickly that hamstring heals might decide whether the offense stays afloat or sinks entirely. When he exited, the Giants were rolling with Jalin Hyatt and Beaux Collins out wide. That’s likely what we’ll see again next week if Slayton can’t go.

And as if that wasn’t enough, there’s the Tyrone Tracy Jr. situation. The running back, who had quietly become arguably their most reliable piece on offense, hasn’t suited up since the Chiefs game thanks to a dislocated shoulder.

The Giants have been missing that burst and consistency badly. Tracy averaged 4.4 yards per carry last year, led the team with 839 rushing yards, and racked up over 1,100 total yards.

The good news? He did practice on Friday. Limited participation, sure. But we might see him suit up soon.