Giants Named Shocking Trade Destination for NFC East Star

The New York Giants are trending more and more toward being buyers at the NFL trade deadline, and with defensive tackle being one of their top needs, they could scour the market for help on the interior.

DJ Reader has been fantastic this season, but the Giants don't really have a capable partner alongside of him. Rookie Bobby Jamison-Travis showed flashes this past Sunday, but New York would probably like a more dependable player in the trenches.

There could be a handful of really good defensive tackles available between now and Nov. 10, and we just saw one of them — DeForest Buckner — get dealt to the San Francisco 49ers in exchange for a fourth-round draft pick.

Who could be next?

Well, one trade candidate at the position is Washington Commanders star Daron Payne, and ESPN's Matt Bowen and Jeremy Fowler have actually named the Giants as a potential landing spot for the 29-year-old.

The Commanders are sitting at 1-4-1 and in the cellar of the NFC East coming out of their bye week, and with Terry McLaurin now out for the season, Washington does look like a seller before the deadline.

But would the Commanders really move Payne within the division?

It's possible, but while we have seen intra-divisional trades before, you can bet Washington would almost certainly ask for more in return from the Giants than, say, the Jacksonville Jaguars, who were another team floated as a potential destination for Payne.

New York is short on draft capital as it is, having already moved its fourth, fifth and seventh-round selections this year. The Giants could look to move future draft picks, but how much would the Commanders require?

I will say that Buckner's price of a fourth-rounder almost certainly means that Payne wouldn't go for any more than a Day 3 pick. Buckner is absolutely the superior player, and Payne has declined the last few years.

Payne is in the final year of his contract, so he would be just a rental for whomever acquires him. So New York would then have to assess whether or not he would be worth bringing back in free agency.

Given how deep the upcoming defensive tackle class is slated to be in this year's NFL Draft, the Giants might just decide to let him walk. Then again, if Payne performs well, retaining him for next season would knock out one big need, especially with New York not having much 2027 draft capital to begin with.

The idea of Payne is nice. Whether or not Washington actually decides to send him to a divisional foe is another story.