New York Giants general manager Joe Schoen’s prior history as a member of the Buffalo Bills’ front office has come in handy on more than one occasion during his tenure with the G-Men.
One primary example came last offseason when he acquired former Bills second-round pick Boogie Basham Jr. via trade at the end of the preseason to bolster the team’s edge-rushing depth. A similar move could be made this summer to upgrade the Giants’ secondary.
The Buffalo Bills could look to move on from Kaiir Elam
Cornerback is still a need for Big Blue with just two weeks until the start of the regular season. The Bills, meanwhile, could be looking to offload one of their cornerbacks. Former first-round pick Kaiir Elam has seemingly fallen out of favor with the coaching staff and could benefit from a potential change of scenery.
A trade for Elam would be inexpensive. The 23-year-old cornerback played in just three games for Buffalo last season as he became a healthy scratch for much of the campaign.
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The Bills seem to have given up on Elam after a somewhat disappointing start to his career. He’s played in only 16 games in two years, totaling 55 combined tackles, one tackle for loss, four pass defenses, and two interceptions in his career.
The Bills drafted Elam with the 23rd overall pick in 2022’s draft. He was viewed as a “rangy corner with speed and physicality” during the pre-draft process (h/t Bleacher Report). His physicality and aggression made him a coveted talent as a press-cover cornerback during the 2022 NFL Draft.
Would trading for Elam be an upgrade for the Giants?
Trading for Elam might not immediately solve the Giants’ problems at cornerback. However, it would be a low-cost/risk, high-upside move that has become a staple for Schoen. He has made a number of moves with similar classification, including the trades for LB/S Isaiah Simmons and EDGE Boogie Basham Jr. last summer during the preseason.
Adding Elam would give the Giants another high-upside youngster in their secondary. However, New York’s secondary is filled with high-upside youngsters. Perhaps they would prefer to add a more experienced and reliable veteran player to the mix instead.
