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In the third year of the Joe Schoen and Brian Daboll era with the New York Giants, the Big Blue has struggled with another slow start to the year. Through seven weeks, the Giants are just 2-5 with two games remaining until the 2024 NFL trade deadline.
With such a poor record, The Giants are unlikely to position themselves as “buyers” at the deadline. They already made a big trade for edge rusher Brian Burns in the offseason, a move that has paid off for the defense. Instead, the Giants' struggles have come almost solely offensively with most of the blame being put on quarterback Daniel Jones.
Burns' pairing with Kayvon Thibodeaux has created an evidently successful pass-rush tandem that leads the NFL in sacks through seven weeks. Their success has created trade intrigue in former second-round pick Azeez Ojulari, whose value might not ever be higher.
Despite making the playoffs in his first season with the team, Daboll is receiving a lot of public pressure with many questioning his job security. Whether those claims are warranted or not does not seem to matter but his positive relationship with Schoen has momentarily kept him from being on the hot seat. Either way, the front office may need to make a move at the upcoming deadline to save them from themselves.
As a team with many holes in its roster, the Giants could use help almost everywhere. The question comes down to what assets they have at their disposal.
Trade away Azeez Ojulari
After three years as a serviceable edge rusher for the Giants, Ojulari immediately became expendable once the team traded for Burns in the summer. However, his value is now as high as it may ever be at the perfect time near the trade deadline.
Thibodeaux's wrist injury after Week 5 landed him on injured reserve, opening the door for Ojulari to fill in as an interim starter. His three combined sacks in Week 6 and Week 7 have created intrigue around the league, particularly with teams in need of pass-rush help. The Detroit Lions are rumored to be searching the edge rusher market following Aidan Hutchinson's season-ending injury, making them one of several teams the Giants could call.
The timing could not be better with Thibodeaux expected to return from his injury in Week 10. If he does make true on that timeline, it would be the first game following the trade deadline, giving the Giants essentially nothing to lose.
Ojulari has never made a Pro Bowl but has an eight-sack season to his name in 2021. He is still just 24 years old and is in the final year of his rookie deal, making him a prime target for Super Bowl-contending teams looking for a cheap option on defense.
Considering how many holes New York has on offense, trading Ojulari should be their first move.
Trade away Adoree' Jackson
Struggling teams who position themselves as “sellers” at the deadline tend to dish out veterans on expiring contracts, which is exactly where Jackson comes into play. The 29-year-old signed a one-year contract extension in the offseason and is one of the few veteran assets the team can shop.
Once known as a shutdown corner, Jackson's best days are clearly behind him. He still has some tread left in the tires but injury prone does not even begin to describe him at this point in his career.
With his athleticism on an obvious decline, Jackson has been operating primarily out of the slot in his twilight years. But with the emergence of rookie Andru Phillips, he has been reverted back to the outside and has struggled with the transition. His 64.8 PFF grade is below average, but he has still allowed just four catches in his limited snaps on the year.
Despite being behind converted safety Nick McCloud on the depth chart, there are several contending teams who could use Jackson's services. Many defenses around the league have been cursed by injuries, especially in the secondary.
There are reasons to keep Jackson on the roster. Practically all of the Giants' corners aside from Phillips have struggled all year, especially McCloud. New York is also not immune to injuries and consistently has a plethora of defensive backs on the injury report. But if there is a team willing to give up draft stock or an offensive asset for Jackson, he has to be moved.
