The Giants find themselves in a narrow lane as the trade deadline nears. They’re sitting atop the NFC East heading into Week 8, yet they still don’t quite look like they belong in the same tier as the conference’s top teams. That leaves Joe Schoen and the front office in an awkward spot: not quite buyers, not quite content to do nothing.
Schoen has never been the kind of general manager to chase headlines with an in-season splash. The J.J.
McCarthy deal the Giants made this year stands as the only notable midseason trade of his tenure. Even so, sitting out the deadline entirely would be a mistake.
The better play is to shop carefully for veterans who can help without costing much.
That’s where Schoen’s draft record comes into focus. The Giants have built most of their current core through the draft since he arrived, and the first-round work has generally been better than the late-round returns. The back end of the draft, especially, has not produced much.
From 2022 through 2025, Schoen used seven picks in the sixth and seventh rounds. Only Thomas Fidone is currently on the active roster. Darius Muasau is the only one who has spent most of a season as a starter, and that came because Micah McFadden was hurt.
Here’s how those picks have gone: Darrian Beavers, LB, 6th (2022), 0, No; Tre Hawkins, CB, 6th (2023), 4, No; Jordon Riley, DL, 7th (2023), 5, No; Gervarrius Owens, S, 7th (2023), 0, No; Darius Muasau, LB, 6th (2024), 20, No; Thomas Fidone, TE, 7th (2025), 1, Yes; Korie Black, CB, 7th (2025), 2, Yes (IR).
That kind of track record should make Schoen more willing to part with late-round capital now. He shouldn’t be tossing around premium picks for a short-term fix, especially with the strength of the upcoming class in mind.
But a late-rounder for a useful veteran? That’s a move the Giants should be open to.
Two names that fit that mold are Colts defensive tackle Grover Stewart and Chargers cornerback Donte Jackson. Both are aging defenders on expiring contracts for losing teams, and both would address needs while giving New York a boost for its playoff push without forcing the Giants to surrender anything meaningful.
These wouldn’t be the flashy kind of deadline swings that grab everyone’s attention, like the Bears’ Jeffery Simmons move or the 49ers’ DeForest Buckner swing. Still, they’re the kind of practical deals that make sense for a team trying to improve without getting ahead of itself.
In Other News...
Giants Suddenly Have A Jonathan Taylor Debate Fans Can't Ignore
Jonathan Taylor has suddenly become one of the biggest names on the trade market, and the Giants are right in the middle of the conversation. According to Adam Schefter of ESPN, the Colts are willing to deal the running back, and New York is among several teams with reported interest. For a Giants team always looking for ways to raise the ceiling of its offense, the idea of adding a proven back of Taylors caliber is the kind of possibility that naturally gets attention.
The harder part is figuring out what it would actually take to make it happen. A player of Taylors profile is not the kind of target teams usually land cheaply, and any pursuit would likely require serious draft capital along with some salary-cap maneuvering. For the Giants, that creates the real debate: whether the upgrade at running back would be worth the cost in assets and flexibility, especially with other roster needs still demanding attention. [Read more 🡒]
Giants Suddenly Have A Linebacker Problem They Can't Ignore
The Giants linebacker room took a serious hit when Tremaine Edmunds went on injured reserve with a shoulder injury, leaving a position group that had already been under a microscope suddenly much thinner. With Edmunds out, Micah McFadden and rookie Arvell Reese have been pushed into the lineup, and the team is now trying to steady a spot that carries a lot of responsibility in the middle of the defense.
What makes the situation harder is that the Giants do not just need bodies there, they need reliability and communication. The depth chart is unsettled enough that a veteran addition before the trade deadline is at least on the table, even if no move has been made yet. For a defense that has already had to adjust on the fly, the next decision at linebacker could say plenty about how urgently the Giants view the problem. [Read more 🡒]
Giants Reunion Rumor Puts One Defensive Line Question In Focus
With the Giants still sorting out the shape of their defensive front, one familiar name has surfaced in the conversation: Dalvin Tomlinson. The veteran tackle, who first came into the league with New York after being drafted in 2017, is now with the Chargers, and his background with the organization makes him an easy fit for the kind of interior help the Giants could use.
Still, this is the kind of rumor that comes with plenty of moving parts. Tomlinsons availability is not settled, his health history is part of the equation, and any potential trade would depend on what it would cost to pry him loose, leaving the Giants with a question worth monitoring rather than a move already in motion. [Read more 🡒]