With the New England Patriots sending a second-round pick for Atlanta Falcons’ Mohamed Sanu, the 2019 in-season trade deadline is undoubtedly sneaking up on us. The New York Giants will most certainly be sellers in the period considering their 2-5 record and abysmal defense.
Here are three New York Giants player that could be on the marker:
1.) Janoris Jenkins
This is the easiest trade option to spot, especially after being torched by Mike Evans for 190 yards and three scores in week three. Jenkins has been extremely inconsistent this season and a liability at times, but he is still a valuable player that can be a lockdown corner in the NFL.
Jenkins has one-year remaining on his contract with the New York Giants — $14.75 million against the cap in 2020. He will account for a considerable cap-allocation, and that should be a reason general manager Dave Gettleman moves on from the veteran corner. Getting his number off the books will allow the Giants to bring in a younger/new option. Jenkins has survived through some of the worst times in Giants history, and he’s probably overwhelmed with negative energy. Letting him go would likely be the best thing for both parties, and if Big Blue can get draft capital in exchange for the defender, it could ultimately end up being a positive move.
A third-round pick would satisfy the requirement to pry the corner away from one of the league’s worst defenses.
3.) Evan Engram
The reality with tight end, Evan Engram, is simple. He’s a good player that’s always injured. Engram has looked fantastic this season before tossing out a dud against the Arizona Cardinals in rainy weather. He dropped two passes on five attempts, and only caught one pass for six yards in the loss.
Engram is a tremendous pass-catching option off the line of scrimmage when he’s active, but he has had issues with catch-rate in the past – a bit ironic, I know, but there’s value to be had.
A contending team looking to add a tight end that can revolutionize their offense could be a target for the Giants, and Engram would likely garner a second-round pick on the open market. He’s still young and on his rookie deal.
3.) Nate Solder
The Giants are on the hook for a boat-load of cash in regards to Solder. The veteran left tackle’s cap-hit jumps up to $19.5 million in 2020, but the Giants have an out in the contract that would cost the Giants $13 million in dead cap, which likely indicates he will remain on the team for the foreseeable future.
However, the alternative would be to trade Solder, who’s capable of being a good tackle but has been terrible this season. Getting exponential value for Solder would be the hard part, considering his lack of quality this year. Add in his financial commitment, and Big Blue might be willing to give him away.
Gettleman did process Solder’s contract in a team-friendly way, but the dead cap is still egregious. He counted for $34.9 million in dead cap last year and $25 million this year. The allocation will drop to $13 million in 2020, but that’s still a high number that would significantly hurt the team. Unless the Giants believe they can find a cheaper option to replicate his bad performances and allocate the $6.5 million elsewhere, keeping him seems like the logical move. Of course, drafting a left tackle is always an option.