Giants Have a Clear Trade Candidate Who Should Get Moved

The New York Giants, at this point, will likely be quasi-buyers before the NFL trade deadline, as they are 3-1-1 and in first place in the NFC East.

But that doesn't mean the Giants can't sell off some pieces, as well.

One player in particular who makes perfect sense for New York to trade is linebacker Micah McFadden.

Once a starter for the Giants, McFadden has played a grand total of two snaps for New York on defense this season. He has participated in 65 percent of Big Blue's special teams snaps, but the Giants don't really need McFadden for that.

When New York selected BYU linebacker Jack Kelly in the sixth round of the NFL Draft back in April, the writing was on the wall for McFadden, who missed just about all of last season due to a Lisfranc injury.

The Giants also signed Tremaine Edmunds in free agency and drafted Arvell Reese, which marginalized McFadden right from the start. The Kelly pick was the icing on the cake.

McFadden has value, though.

The 26-year-old was a decent player for New York in 2023 and 2024, racking up over 100 tackles in both seasons. He was never a star and probably shouldn't have been starting, but he held his own.

Now, though, with Reese, Edmunds and Kelly being prioritized at off-ball linebacker, there is no question that McFadden should be a trade candidate between now and Nov. 10.

The Giants are very short on draft capital right now. They dealt their fourth, fifth and seventh-round 2027 picks, so they could absolutely stand to add another Day 3 selection, and McFadden could bring one back.

It is nice to have McFadden for depth, but again, New York drafted Kelly for a reason, and given Kelly's numbers at BYU, there is reason to believe he has a future with the Giants.

McFadden re-signed with New York on a one-year contract back in March, but the chances of the G-Men actually retaining him in free agency again next spring seem slim.

So instead of losing him for nothing come the offseason, the Giants would be better of jettisoning McFadden now and getting a draft pick in return.

New York is still technically in rebuilding mode, even if the squad has obviously made significant progress this year. So it's important for the Giants to stash some more draft capital in order to fill other needs.

Trading McFadden in the coming weeks would allow them to do that.