6 best free agent wide receiver fits for Chicago Bears
5. Darius Slayton is a deep ball threat for Justin Fields
Darius Slayton was a fifth-round pick by the New York Giants in 2019. As a rookie, he put up 740 yards and eight touchdowns and immediately was on the radar. Still, it did not ascend up from there. He had 11 more yards the following season but did it on 14 more targets. He also had just three touchdowns.
Then, he dropped to 339 yards and two touchdowns as he appeared to be in the dog house of Joe Judge. Since New York had names such as Kadarius Toney, and Kenny Golladay, it was hard to see Slayton playing a lot in 2022. However, as you know, those names flamed out, and Slayton was still there.
He hauled in a career-high 816 yards. He only had two touchdowns, but he showed that with the right coach and the right offense, he belongs in the NFL. Slayton could be a help for the Chicago Bears because of how he can get deep.
He had five catches for 192 yards and a touchdown on attempts 20 yards down the field. The difference would be that Justin Fields ranks 4th in deep ball rate with 16% of his passes going 20 yards, while Daniel Jones ranks 35th with 5% of his passing being deep balls.
It is a much better fit for Slayton and his skill set. After going through up and downs, Ryan Poles has to like the story and maybe betting on Darius Slayton to improve, considering he is still 26 years old.