The Tennessee Titans recently declined the fifth-year option of starting right guard, Jack Conklin. This presents a potential opportunity for the New York Giants.
Conklin missed 7 games in 2018 due to injury but started every game in his first two years. With two more seasons remaining on his rookie deal, the Giants might be able to gain fantastic value if they trade for the Titan.
Now, the starting offensive lineman ranked as the 45th tackle in 2018, according to PFF. He’s a middle of the pack talent with plenty of potential to be extracted. He’s far better than the Giants’ current starter, Chad Wheeler.
Replacing Wheeler with Conklin would solidify the line for years to come, and it would add another rookie contract to an already expensive offensive front.
New York Giants: The major concern with Jack Conklin
After an All-Pro accolade earning rookie season, Conklin tore his ACL in 2017 in the first half of a divisional loss to the New England Patriots. He returned in 2018 in week 4, but there was clearly something off with the former first-round pick. He looked different, but players often do after returning from a significant knee injury. Often times, it’s not the knee that’s the issue but rather mental strength and trust in the surgically repaired ACL.
In his first three seasons, Conklin’s grades decreased incrementally from 2016-18: 80.6 to 71.9 to 66.8. That’s the primary issue surrounding the once solidified talent. We know there’s more to be had with the right tackle, but his injuries have posed a serious concern moving forward. A trade for him would likely not take much, but it would leave the Titans without a starting lineman – so, maybe it would take a bit to pry him away.
I imagine an appropriate deal would be a fourth pick from the 2020 NFL Draft. That would be enough to make it worthwhile for the Titans, while also getting his contract off the books. Additionally, 2019 will be his last season with the team anyway, so extracting any sort of value would be a positive.
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