How Active Will the Giants Be As the 2019 Trade Deadline Approaches?

With the NFL trade deadline two weeks away, here's why the Giants probably won't be as active as they were last year.

Until Dave Gettleman came on board as the Giants general manager toward the end of 2017, in-season trades made by New York were about as rare as there being 80-degree temperatures in February.

But since then, Gettleman has shown he's not afraid to shake things up to improve the roster, even after the season is underway.

Last year, he famously traded nose tackle Damon Harrison and cornerback Eli Apple before the NFL trade deadline, netting in return three draft picks that the Giants used in this year's draft.

There were also reports of the Giants looking to trade defensive backs Landon Collins and Janoris Jenkins, with neither of those deals ever materializing.

With the 2019 trade deadline fast approaching on October 29, how active might the Giants be?

It likely all depends on what happens in these next two games, against the Cardinals and Lions.

If the Giants, currently 2-4, win those games to get to 4-4, that puts them in a lot better shape for the second half of the season, especially if Dallas and Philadelphia continue to struggle the way they have.

If the Giants lose both of those games, they will fall to 2-6, a record that would better justify dismantling the roster and allowing some of the younger players to cut their teeth on a more consistent basis.

If the Giants split these next two games, then it could come down to how bad the margin of defeat was in the game lost.

Let's now hone in on three players whose names are frequently mentioned by fans as potential trade targets.

CB Janoris Jenkins

Jenkins remains the most favored veteran to be traded based on the opinions that I've seen on my Twitter timeline.

The logic is understandable. Jenkins not only carries a sizeable cap hit ($14.75 million), but he's been up-and-down with his play this year.

According to Pro Football Focus, Jenkins leads the Giants cornerbacks in missed tackles with six and is tied for the position group lead in penalties with DeAndre Baker (3) and touchdowns allowed (3).

On the flipside, Jenkins also has the best NFL rating of the Giants cornerbacks (80.20), and it isn't even close right now.

His four pass breakups are also the only four recorded by the cornerbacks, and of the group's YAC allowed, Jenkins has the lowest percentage, having allowed just 18% of the yardage against him to come after the catch.

Although the Giants could recoup $5.97 million in cap space if they were to move Jenkins by the trade deadline, the question becomes who they get to replace him.

In time, the Giants are believed to be eyeing a starting cornerback duo of Sam Beal and DeAndre Baker.

However, that duo will have to wait given Beal's injury issues, which again struck this year when a strained hamstring landed him on injured reserve after the start of the season.

Beal, who is eligible to begin practicing this week, will do so, according to head coach Pat Shurmur. The Giants will then have three weeks to decide whether to activate him from IR.

It's highly unlikely they'll make that decision before the trade deadline, just as it would be surprising if they decide that Beal, who has never played an NFL snap in the preseason or regular season, is ready to step into full-time duty.

TE Rhett Ellison

Ellison is another player some fans have asked might be on the block, so let's take a closer look.

If Ellison were to be moved by the trade deadline, the Giants would be looking at under $500,000 cap savings. They would also be giving up on their best run- and pass-blocking tight end, a risky proposition given the struggles the two offensive tackles have had keeping the edges pristine.

Ellison is also the only one of the Giants tight ends to play in all the games this year.

While he's the No. 2 man behind Evan Engram, that Engram has already had to miss one game due to a knee injury underscores why it's important to hang on to Ellison, who, while not quite the pass receiver Engram is, contributes as a blocker.

In six games, the Giants have run 12-personnel (one running back and two tight ends) on 20% of their offensive snaps this season. That percentage jumped to 27% when Sterling Shepard was not in the lineup due to a concussion.

Although the Giants have Garrett Dickerson and Kadem Smith as up-and-coming tight ends, both have combined for 19 snap counts on offense so far--hardly a large enough sample size to feel good about shipping Ellison somewhere else at the moment.

LT Nate Solder

Giants fans have begun amplifying their concerns about the play of Giants left tackle Nate Solder, who per Pro Football Focus, has allowed 25 total pressures, fourth-most among the 47 left tackles who have played in at least 300 snaps this year.

The problem with moving on from Solder is two-fold. First, given his contract--restructured this year, by the way--the Giants would be looking at eating $6.5 million in dead cap money this year. But more importantly, the team's depth at offensive tackle is limited, to begin with.

If Solder or Mike Remmers couldn't play, Nick Gates would presumably be the next man up. Gates, who is going through his first NFL season fully healthy--he missed his rookie campaign with an injury--is still thought to be a developmental project, though one with a lot of promise.

Still, with a rookie quarterback behind center, does it make sense to move on from Solder at this point if Gates is working toward being a future starter?