The New York Giants saw an opportunity to turn a likely veteran cut into draft capital on Wednesday night (August 14) and they took it — sending defensive lineman Jordan Phillips to the division rival Dallas Cowboys via trade.
NFL insiders Jordan Schultz (Bleacher Report) and Josina Anderson (independent) were the first to report.
Typically, you never want to send any talent over to a bitter rival like the Cowboys but in this case, it was a no-brainer. As New York Daily News beat reporter Pat Leonard noted on X: “Phillips wasn’t going to make the Giants’ roster” anyway. So, getting anything for the bust free agent pickup is an automatic win.
As for what they received, 33rd Team insider Ari Meirov explained.
“The Giants are sending a 7th-round pick to the Cowboys in exchange for a 6th-round pick in this Jordan Phillips deal,” he informed. “It’s a late-round swap, and we’ll likely see more of these among teams in the coming days and weeks as the backend of rosters get built.”
The Athletic’s Dan Duggan later clarified that the pick swap is in 2026, not 2025. He also added that the Giants will “eat” Phillips’ $430K signing bonus as the cost of doing business.
Big Blue has had a few younger players step up on the defensive line this spring and summer, with Phillips falling behind early on. ESPN NYG beat reporter Jordan Raanan weighed in on the trade as well, shouting out a couple of standouts from training camp.
“The Giants like what they’ve seen from some of their young defensive linemen, including Elijah Chatman and D.J. Davidson,” he said. “Phillips hadn’t made much of an impact this summer.”
There is now one opening on the Giants’ 90-man roster ahead of their second preseason outing.
Giants’ Jordan Phillips Trade Gives UDFA Elijah Chatman Big Vote of Confidence
Moments after the Phillips trade was announced on X, articles and posts about Chatman were popping up all over social media.
Chatman was already being predicted to make the 53-man roster over Phillips, so this move isn’t exactly a surprise. It is a vote of confidence from the organization, however.
Beat reporters noticing the shaping of a depth chart is one thing, while a franchise confirming it with an early trade is another.
Chatman’s rise stems back to rookie minicamp. Where he showed up and won a job as an undrafted free agent trying out to make the 90-man roster.
Strength is often the first thing mentioned when you talk about the rookie. In fact, Giants defensive line coach Andre Patterson stated that Chatman is “probably the strongest guy on the team,” per New York Post reporter Ryan Dunleavy.
Keep in mind, hulking Pro Bowler Dexter Lawrence is also a part of Patterson’s defensive line.
“He’s not one of the bigger defensive tackles in FBS at 6-0, 278, but few are as strong,” The Athletic’s Bruce Feldman agreed while naming Chatman to his annual freaks list in 2023. “He’s bench-pressed 505 pounds and done 42 reps of 225, and the SMU staff thinks he’ll be around 45 the next time he tests. They say he does dumbbell rows with 185 pounds just for a challenge.”
For the rookie who enjoys challenges, making an NFL active roster was the next one.
“I honestly expected to get overlooked because of my size, but in my heart I knew I could compete with a lot of the guys getting picked [in the draft],” Chatman told Dunleavy. “I just took whatever God blessed me with and I ran with it — and I ended up here [with the Giants].”
Giants Add Safety Depth Amid Rash of Injuries
Earlier in the afternoon on August 14, Big Blue announced a signing via Duggan.
“The Giants are signing safety Raheem Layne after a workout today, per source,” he relayed on X. “Layne spent the past two seasons with the [Los Angeles] Chargers. He tore his ACL last October.”
Duggan went on to note that “the Giants needed to add safety depth” with Jason Pinnock, Dane Belton, Tyler Nubin and Alex Johnson as their only healthy safeties right now.
He reminded that Gervarrius Owens is dealing with a knee injury, while Elijah Riley suffered a concussion and veteran Jalen Mills is still sidelined with his non-football calf injury.
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Giants Trade Cut Candidate to Cowboys, Gaining Draft Capital