The New York Giants had one major need heading into cut day, with the deadline at 4 PM on Tuesday afternoon. Desperately needing more pass-rush support, the Giants hooked up with the Buffalo Bills to acquire former second-round pick, Boogie Basham.
Giants Land a Pass Rusher With Upside
As reported by Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network, Basham will join the Giants after playing 691 total defensive snaps over the past two seasons. He posted 38 combined pressures with seven sacks, four QB hits, and 27 hurries. Last season, he earned three sacks with 11 tackles, including a 20.8% missed tackle rate.
The Giants and Bills will swap late-round picks in 2025.
Giants waive preseason standout QB
Boogie Basham’s Value
As a run defender, there’s still a lot left to be desired when it comes to Basham. However, he offers good pass-rush potential and can help support a defensive line that is thin behind Azeez Ojulari and Kayvon Thibodeaux.
Thibodeaux is heading into his second season as a pro, but Ojulari has been a bit injury-prone over the first two seasons of his career, hoping to put together a strong 2023 campaign after missing time last season due to a calf injury.
While Basham is listed as a defensive end, he stands at 6’3″ and 274 pounds, meaning he could play inside and potentially kick out to outside linebacker as well.
At 25 years old, the Giants will be hoping that defensive line coach Andre Patterson can unlock his potential, just as he did with superstar interior big man Dexter Lawrence.