Should the New York Giants Trade for QB Deshaun Watson?
The New York Giants absolutely should throw their hat into the ring to acquire unhappy Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson Sweepstakes?
Former WFAN host Chris Carlin, now the host of "Carlin" on 98.7 ESPN New York, thinks they should, noting in the clip below that the Giants didn't get any true answers about Daniel Jones and what he is, whereas we know what Watson is.
Carlin further argues that Jones took a step backward this season and that the Giants would be "out of their minds" if they didn't kick the tires on Watson because they're a lot closer to winning than the Jets, who have also been mentioned in the mix for Watson.
Carlin is correct that the Giants are closer to being a winning team again, and for proof of that, go back and look at last year, and you'll see all those games the Giants were in (largely thanks to their defense), even if the results didn't favor their efforts.
But now, let's talk about Daniel Jones, and we can start by looking at his Year 1 and Year 2 stats, as shown below.
The only significant difference in Jones's numbers from Year 1 to Year 2 is the touchdown total.
But to be fair to Jones, what Carlin makes no mention of--unless it was an edited clip--is how much of Jones's struggles were because a) he missed Sterling Shepard for four games due to turf toe; b) his receivers dropped 29 passes last season, seventh-most among quarterbacks; c) the two starting tackles on his offensive line, one of whom was a rookie, finished in the top-20 among O-linemen in pressures allowed; and d) he was without his top playmaker (Saquon Barkley).
This is not to absolve Jones of any of the blame for the NFL's 31st scoring offense. But these are all legitimate reasons behind the Giants offense's struggles and are reasons that it's fair to wonder if Carlin even thought about before offering his opinion.
Then there is the price to obtain Watson, which per Pro Football Talk, could be as high as three first-round draft picks.
Are the Giants really in a position, with six draft picks this year and no hope of gaining comp picks, to give up that kind of haul when they desperately need a playmaking receiver, an edge rusher, and a cornerback?
The answer is no.
Carlin is correct in that we know what Watson is, and we're still not sure what Jones is. But put Watson on a Giants team with the same supporting cast that Jones had, and how do we know that Watson will be the quarterback he was in Houston?
We don't.
So is a trade package with three first-round draft picks worth it to find out?
It's not, which is why the Giants need to focus on building up the supporting cast on offense because if Eli Manning couldn't function with similar makeshift talent, how realistic was it to expect Jones to fare any better?
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