After Trading Markus Golden, Who Could Be Next to Go for the Giants?
With the Giants now 1-6 and any hopes of winning a weak NFC East fading fast, the front office has no doubt shifted more of a focus toward continuing its never-ending roster rebuild to ensure head coach Joe Judge and his staff have everything they need to be competitive.
But the Giants, at least right now, are limited on resources to do that. While they did acquire a sixth-round pick for Golden, that gives them just six draft picks for next year--they are going to be without their original fifth-round pick (owed to the Jets for defensive lineman Leonard Williams) and a seventh-round pick (owed to the Broncos for cornerback Isaac Yiadom).
They are also not projected to be in line for any compensatory picks, and they have a few bloated contracts sitting on their 2021 cap that if they're able to move and acquire a draft pick by the November 3 trade deadline, they absolutely should do so and not think twice about it.
As such, if things fall according to logic, the Giants should be sellers rather than buys in the next few days. And here's a look at some of the players who are likely on the trading block.
TE Evan Engram
2021 Contract: $6.013 million (option year)
2021 Dead Money if Traded: N/A
2020 Stats: 26 receptions out of 44 targets, 223 yards, no touchdowns
Even before his abysmal showing against the Eagles, I advocated moving Engram in this article.
We keep hearing about Engram's talents, how he is a matchup nightmare, how he is this, and how he is that. But as Tom Coughlin always used to say, “Talk is cheap.”
All that promise Engram supposedly offers has yet to come to fruition, partially due to his deployment by three different offensive coordinators now and somewhat due to Engram’s own doing.
If he hasn’t peaked yet, it’s probably fair to wonder if he’s ever going to peak with this team and might be better off in a different offensive system where he can be a role player rather than thought of as a featured player.
Given that the Giants exercised his option year on his rookie deal, considering the production he’s been delivering (partially due to a chronic injury history, which is another problem in itself), at this point, the Giants might be better off playing Kaden Smith more for the rest of the season if they do part with Engram.
Smith isn’t as athletic as Engram, and he won’t get you massive yards after the catch, but he’s a better blocker capable of handling defensive ends (Smith is 252 pounds to Engram’s 240), and Smith, in his handful of pass targets, has caught 75% of his targets to Engram’s 61.5%.
Is all that worth the $6.013 million the Giants committed to Engram next year? Engram is a friendly guy who isn’t a problem in the locker room and who does come to work.
NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport claims that the Giants do not intend to move Engram, but then again the Giants didn't plan to trade Odell Beckham (or so they claimed) either.
Remember, this is a production-based business, and it would be hard to fathom the Giants turning down a solid offer were one to come in for a player who has shown flashes of potential but who struggled to do so consistently.
OG Kevin Zeitler
2021 Contract: $14.5 million
2021 Cap Savings: $12 million
2021 Dead Money if Traded: $2.5 million
2020 Stats: 7 games played
In case it’s not clear, the Giants won the Kevin Zeitler-Olivier Vernon trade with the Browns, and it’s not even close.
But age (30 years old) and, perhaps to a degree, wear and tear appear to be catching up with Zeitler. According to PFF, Zeitler has allowed 17 pressures in seven games, just three fewer than the career-high 20 he allowed in 16 games during the 2017 season with the Browns.
Although he is still very much a functional player who is better than most guards out there, the Giants have been hard at work developing some of their younger talent projected to finally complete that offensive line rebuild.
If the Giants were to move Zeitler—and according to SI.com’s Albert Breer, Zeitler’s name has come up in league circles as being on the trade block—one scenario to replace him on the offensive line would be to move Cameron Fleming from right tackle to right guard.
That would open the door for young Matt Peart, who has played well so far in limited snaps, to get his opportunity at the position where he’s projected to play full-time.
Another scenario, assuming he’s ready to go—and based on the fact he hasn’t gotten any offensive line snaps, he might not yet be—would be to move rookie Shane Lemieux, the team’s fifth-round pick into the right guard spot.
Again, Zeitler is still a very functional player, but considering his contract is the highest cap figure on the Giants’ 2021 cap, and there’s no way that it makes sense for them to carry him when they have talent being developed in the pipeline.
WR Golden Tate
2021 Contract: $10.852 million
2021 Cap Savings: $6.147 million
2021 Dead Money if Traded: $4.705 million
2020 Stats: 6 games, 20 receptions for 195 yards, 1 TD
Tate, whose 2021 salary-cap figure is second behind Zeitler’s, is another Giants veteran whom Breer mentioned might be on the move.
Additionally, a source told me that the Packers could be in the market for a veteran receiver, though it’s unclear if the 32-year-old Tate is on their radar if that is indeed true.
The Giants signed Tate after they traded away Odell Beckham Jr and was given a contract that suggested they were viewing him as a No. 1 receiver.
Unfortunately, he’s been anything but, and more recently, his most significant selling point—yards after the catch—has declined.
Tate is currently averaging a career-low 3.1 YAC, though currently, his 76.6% reception rate is the second-best mark of his career.
Still, if the Giants offense is going to become the juggernaut that many believe it can be, it’s imperative that they add a legitimate No. 1 receiver.
Tate, who is under contract through 2022, is unfortunately not that guy.
