With the NFL trade deadline two weeks away, it's becoming clearer that the New York Giants, the current NFC East leader, will be buyers as they near the halfway point of the regular season.
General manager Joe Schoen is weighing two questions: Which players they could target and what they'd be willing to give up. The Giants have suffered by losing some major contributors to injuries, such as quarterback Jaxson Dart and linebackers Brian Burns and Tremaine Edmunds, and will need to fortify their roster if they are to make a postseason run this year.
Schoen told reporters on Tuesday the roster losses will have no bearing on how the team approaches the trade deadline.
"That really doesn't affect us now. We are where we are, and we were 1-0 with Jaxson,
and then he got hurt seven plays into the next game, and then we went out and obviously J.J.'s our starter now," Schoen told reporters. "That really won't impact what we do. Again, we're going to look at it from a short-term and long-term, any move that we make, if that makes sense. That really won't play much into it right at this moment."
Schoen was asked about his strategy heading into the trade deadline. In years past, he has shown restraint, mainly because the team wasn't contending. This year, he could get more aggressive.
"There's a lot of factors into it, in terms of where we are pick-wise. We don't have a fourth or a fifth right now. So, you take that into account," said Schoen.
The Giants have only five picks remaining in next year's NFL draft. As Schoen alluded to, they traded their fourth- and fifth-round picks to acquire wide receiver Malachi Fields and quarterback J.J. McCarthy. They have two sixth-round picks but none in Round Seven.
Schoen won't get fleeced out of his remaining picks. He'll need to receive ample value in return, and it will have to satisfy both the team's short- and long-term needs.
"In some situations, that may rule some players out," he said. "Maybe that's what their value is. Maybe a third is too rich or a sixth isn't enough, so then you start looking into future picks and contract status, where we are depth-wise. So, a lot of factors that we'll look at are who's going to be available, who's really available. And it's easy to say, go sign X, Y, and Z position, but if a team's really not ready to get rid of somebody where they're asking too much, it doesn't match up with where you see the value, then it doesn't make sense to do it.
"So, we're going to look at all the options that are available. And there's certain teams that have already started some trades, and we've been in contact with those teams and have a pretty good idea of who may or may not be available. And again, it's got to make sense, short-term and long-term, when you make those moves."
Despite their roster moves on Tuesday, the Giants are rumored to be in the market for a running back or a defensive lineman.
The Indianapolis Colts are said to be willing to part with Pro Bowl running back Jonathan Taylor. The Giants may not match up compensation-wise or have the salary cap room to accommodate a trade for Taylor.
This article originally appeared on Giants Wire: New York Giants will examine all trade options ahead of deadline
