EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ – Jalin Hyatt walked briskly out of the locker room and down the hallway into the bowels of MetLife Stadium. Wearing street clothes, his head bowed, blinders on, he couldn’t hear a reporter’s greeting.

Hyatt’s eyes were still black as he relived the New York Giants’ disappointing 28-6 loss to the Minnesota Vikings in their season opener. He quickly left the locker room and stadium without showering, having taken just 15 total snaps and just four in the first three quarters of Week 1’s contest. The second-year receiver then played just 11 snaps in a 21-18 loss in Week 2 to the Washington Commanders.

He had one goal: a fourth-quarter decline in the opening game. It was a high throw and required a diving grab, but Hyatt admits he should have made it.

Conclusion: No catches and one goal in two games this season.

“Would have looked at you crazy,” Hyatt said, if he had been told that would be the case before the season. “It’s definitely disappointing. I’m not going to sit here and act like I’m completely okay with this. I don’t do that. But I ask myself, ‘What can I do now?’ I can either sit here and sulk and be mad at the world and not get better, or I can keep attacking the days and keep getting better in training.”

That’s a far cry from what was expected from the third-round pick from Tennessee that the Giants traded for in the 2023 NFL Draft. Hyatt had a strong offseason, spending most of the summer this spring and throughout training camp as the team’s No. 2 receiver opposite rookie Malik Nabers.

Then something changed. Hyatt fell behind Darius Slayton on the depth chart sometime in late August, during the second preseason game against the Houston Texans. He knew he and Slayton were competing, but it still seemed like a complete turnaround, and something that hadn’t changed much in the last two weeks.

The Giants’ answer is that Slayton, the proven veteran, is the better option at this point.

“That’s not Jalin Hyatt’s fault either,” said coach Brian Daboll. “(Slayton) is doing a good job with his ability to do the things he needs to do. And then we sprinkle Hyatt into certain games. And then (rookie wide receiver Malik) Nabers is… he was on the field most of the time… (Hyatt will be) ready to go when his number is called.

Daboll didn’t tell Hyatt until Wednesday morning that his opportunities would arise. Just be patient. Hyatt seemed fully committed and was one of the first to line up for wide receiver drills at practice. He and Daboll appeared to have a positive rep interaction.

It highlights that Hyatt has done a good job while remaining positive. He’s a competitor and it’s only natural that he wants more playing time and opportunities, but he knows it has to be earned.

His position coach Mike Groh believes he handles it like a pro.

“He was locked in,” the Giants wide receivers coach said after the opener. “He was ready to play the whole game.”

There was a moment in late summer when it looked like things might go wrong. Unhappy with the situation, Hyatt said during practice that the Giants should trade him if they didn’t use him, multiple team sources told ESPN.

That doesn’t seem to be the case. Hyatt is still in their plans.

New York’s deal to acquire Hyatt cost them a spot in the fourth round. They announced at the start of last season that they wanted to play him as a rookie, with the intention that 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 for most of the 2023 season. He worked hard on his game this offseason and there seemed to be improvements. Hyatt made plays and caught catches through contact throughout training camp, an improvement from the previous year.

“I felt like I got better in training camp and OTAs. I felt like I took the next step that I needed to take in terms of my routes, in terms of knowing the playbook, in terms of alignment and in terms of my job.” “Doing the work and of course taking advantage when opportunities arise,” 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’m disappointed about that but in the end At the end of the day I’m just going to keep getting better and my chance will come and when it does comes, I’ll be ready.

In training camp, it looked like Hyatt and Slayton would split time, potentially taking the field together whenever Nabers needed a break. Hyatt was another factor that Schoen and Daboll needed to become a major player for their program to grow.

Hyatt’s teammates saw an improved player primed for a potential breakout year.

“You can definitely see the work he’s put in this offseason. The route running, obviously he was a big vertical threat last year, still is, but it’s helped develop his other routes more, coming out of his breaks and stuff.” “The way he plays, he has that Football attacked, especially on the in and out break routes,” said backup quarterback Tommy DeVito, a close friend of Hyatt. “He was really quarterback-friendly and went far. I look forward to further growth.”

It helps that Hyatt found itself in a similar situation in Tennessee. In his second season he did not win the starting position, which affected his confidence. He wanted to leave the program. But he persevered and eventually became the winner of the Biletnikoff Award, given to the best wide receiver in the country, in his junior season.

This shows Hyatt that better times are ahead for the Giants.

“My time will come. Trust me, it will come,” Hyatt said. “And if it’s not now, it will be soon. That’s why I’m not really worried at the moment because I know that sooner or later I will take over.”