Getty New York Giants defensive lineman Leonard Williams could be traded in 2023.
If the New York Giants fall to the Buffalo Bills in Week 6, the franchise will be 1-5 to start the 2023 season.
Needless to say, the odds of making the playoffs at that point would be slim to none, and it might make sense to sell off some pieces at the trade deadline as the 2024 rebuild begins a few months early. One likely trade candidate is defensive lineman Leonard Williams and what’s left of his $63 million contract.
Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox named Williams as a top-10 NFL trade asset heading into Week 6 during an article on October 11.
NFL Analyst Explains Why Giants Should Consider Trading Leonard Williams Before Saquon Barkley
In the same breath of including Williams in his list, Knox made it clear why he left out running back Saquon Barkley — another potential trade candidate if things go south.
“Saquon Barkley may eventually become a trade candidate,” the Bleacher Report writer acknowledged, “but that time hasn’t come [yet]. After giving Daniel Jones a lucrative offseason extension, New York needs to show that he can be an above-average quarterback. That isn’t going to happen if Barkley (ankle) never returns to the lineup.”
Williams, on the other hand, could make sense according to Knox.
“Defensive lineman Leonard Williams, however, could be an early trade chip,” he continued on. “He’s set to be a free agent in 2024, and he’d likely draw interest from teams in need of defensive-line help.”
Williams’ salary is the obvious hurdle for the Giants and any interested parties via trade, but Big Blue could eat some of it in order to get the best possible return in the draft. We saw the Denver Broncos do something similar with Frank Clark this morning on October 12, restructuring his deal in order to make him more appealing to other teams.
Bengals & Cowboys Named as Potential Landing Spots for Giants’ Leonard Williams via Trade
Most Giants fans are probably nodding along with Knox up to this point, but his potential landing spots were a little wacky. Well, one in particular.
The analyst named the Cincinnati Bengals and Dallas Cowboys as likely suitors for Williams. Cincy would be fine for the G-Men, of course, but the Cowboys? It’s doubtful that the Giants would openly contribute to a rival’s run at a Super Bowl.
“If the Dallas Cowboys can generate the cap space, targeting Williams would make sense,” Knox reasoned. “They are struggling against the run, allowing an average of 4.5 yards per carry.”
As for the Bengals, “[they] are in an even worse position defensively, allowing 5.3 yards per rush in 2023.” Knox added that “both Cincinnati and Dallas have more than $12 million in cap space, meaning it might not take much effort to work out a deal for Williams.”
Now, that last part is important because any sort of restructure could really open things up for Giants general manager Joe Schoen. He would not be stuck trading with the few teams that could afford it, for example, which could allow for a bidding war — or an option outside of the division, at the very least.
Williams is just the tip of the iceberg though. If the Giants do decide to tear things down — something Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll have yet to truly do since taking over this franchise — there are several veterans and Dave Gettleman draft picks that could make sense alongside Williams.
The next few weeks and months should tell us a lot about the short- and long-term plans of this regime. Buckle up, it will definitely be a very interesting ride.