Joe Schoen has taken plenty of heat in New York, but this offseason is giving the Giants general manager a rare chance to look like he saw the board better than everyone else.
The latest reason? Washington’s Brandon Aiyuk situation is drifting in the wrong direction, and the Commanders are suddenly staring at a wide receiver room that looks thin in a hurry. What was supposed to be a fix has turned into a scramble, and the Giants already moved fast enough to strip away much of the veteran market Washington might have leaned on.
A look at the Commanders’ depth chart tells the story. Terry McLaurin, now 30, is the headliner, but behind him the group gets shaky fast with Treylon Burks and rookie Antonio Williams. The backups - Luke McCaffrey, Dyami Brown, and Jaylin Lane - do not exactly ease the concern.
New York’s receiver group may not be flashy, but it has a much sturdier floor than Washington’s right now. The Giants added Calvin Austin III and Darnell Mooney in free agency, drafted Malachi Fields, then went back for a late veteran haul that brought in Odell Beckham Jr., JuJu Smith-Schuster, and Braxton Berrios. None of those names screams star power, but the overall group is far more dependable than it was a few months ago.
That matters because the Giants can at least feel confident they won’t be left exposed if injuries hit. Washington can’t say the same.
The problem for the Commanders is that the fallback options are not exactly inspiring. Teams around the league do not seem interested in Tyreek Hill or Stefon Diggs. That leaves 34-year-old DeAndre Hopkins and journeyman Curtis Samuel among the best available choices, with a Deebo Samuel reunion also sitting on the table if nothing else comes together.
Right now, Washington does not have a clean answer.
And if that remains the case, the ripple effect could be huge. Without enough help at receiver, Jayden Daniels could be forced to carry too much, and that could keep his inconsistency from last season hanging around. In a crowded NFC East, that gives the Giants a real edge at one of the game’s most important spots.
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Odell Beckham Jr. is back in the building after signing on June 1, giving the Giants a familiar name and a proven presence as they sort through the competition. But the real intrigue is in how the rest of the room sorts itself out, from Darius Slayton and Darnell Mooney to Calvin Austin III and the other challengers trying to force their way into the conversation before the first pads come on. [Read more 🡒]
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For the Giants, the appeal goes beyond simply adding another body to the secondary. Washingtons versatility gives the coaching staff a chance to mix and match more freely in 2026, especially if they want to lean into different safety looks and keep opposing offenses guessing. The bigger question is how much of that value he can bring after the injury setback he dealt with in 2025, even with the encouraging way he got back on the field late in the year. [Read more 🡒]
Leonard Williams Trade Is Suddenly A Tougher Giants Sell
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Williams has complicated that view in Seattle. He has settled in as a key piece of the Seahawks defense and earned his first All-Pro nomination, a reminder that the Giants did not just trade away a name, they moved a player who still had plenty left in the tank. For New York, that makes the old deadline decision a little harder to file away as a clean win or loss, especially with Williams now drawing recognition as one of the leagues top defensive tackles. [Read more 🡒]