The New York Giants were unable to land any major pieces at the trade deadline. However, the team should still be content with where they are at after eight games this season.
At 5-2-1, the Giants are leading the NFC East with no other team in the division having a record of .500 or better.
However, a few trades could have made their position as the division favorites even stronger.In particular, landing Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor, for whom the team reportedly made a strong offer, could have strengthened the roster. Still, one former Giants quarterback is likely content that the team kept Taylor.
Former New York Giants Quarterback Daniel Jones Sends Blunt Message After Trade Deadline
Following the NFL trade deadline, former New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones expressed his displeasure at the Indianapolis Colts trading away key offensive players Josh Downs and Keenan Allen.
The Colts quarterback said, “I mean, honestly, you’re not you’re not happy to see it, right? You’re a player and you’re going out there competing and doing everything you can to win games. So you’re not happy to see a lot of those decisions, and — but like I said, it’s outside of our control, and our job is to play, be prepared, and play well. So, like I said, we got a lot of trust in the guys coming in to those spots, and we’ll be ready to go.”
Regarding Jones’ comments, Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio wrote: “It’s a bad situation for the players who remain, since it will be harder for them to win with backups thrust into the lineup. But that’s how it works whenever a non-contender admits its situation and trades players.
Those who remain have to keep going, trying to win games even if they get the impression that the front office doesn’t really care.
And even though the Jets hold the Colts’ first-round pick, a bad season for Indianapolis will result in a higher spot in every round. As the Colts embark on a rebuild, it’s not crazy to think the front office hopes to sink as low in the standings as possible, since that will enhance the priority of the picks they have.”
Aside from Downs and Allen, the Colts also traded Quenton Nelson and DeForest Buckner during the season.
NFL Trade Deadline
Unfortunately for the Giants, it appears that the one player the Colts held firm on not trading was their top target.
Giants on SI’s Patricia Traina argued that the Giants not overpaying for Taylor or other potential targets was a “sign of strength.” Traina wrote: With the dust having settled on yesterday’s NFL trade activity, the biggest takeaway from what the New York Giants did and didn’t do is that head coach John Harbaugh, general manager Joe Schoen, and the rest of the team’s braintrust are rooted in reality.
There were no illusions by the brass regarding the state of the roster, which, while overall solid, undoubtedly could have benefitted from reinforcements at running back and defensive tackle, not just for this year but for the future, when players currently on the team at both positions will hit free agency.
This resulted in no panic moves and no blinking first…
In other words, after several false starts brought on by a major misjudgment of the roster’s talent following the surprising 2022 season and then the turnover of the coaching staff, things are finally heading in the right direction thanks to the Schoen-Harbaugh team.”
Ex-Giants QB Daniel Jones Sends Blunt Message After Trade Deadline