Giants' Trade Deadline Plans Could Change Drastically on Sunday

The New York Giants appear to be one of the most aggressive teams in the league before the NFL trade deadline, which is next Tuesday.

You can understand why.

The Giants are sitting atop the NFC East at 4-2-1 and are on track to capture their first division title since 2011. The rest of the division is in shambles, and New York may want to go for the jugular.

But that may depend on the result of the Giants' game against the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday afternoon.

The Eagles have lost six games in a row and are incredibly banged up. Jalen Hurts is out for the season. DeVonta Smith and Dontayvion Wicks are sidelined. Saquon Barkley has been playing, but he is hurt.

Of course, New York has been ravaged by injuries in its own right. Jaxson Dart and Brian Burns are both on the shelf. So is linebacker Tremaine Edmunds. Cam Skattebo is doubtful for Sunday's matchup with a hamstring issue.

The Giants also have not won in Philadelphia since 2013, so this game will absolutely not be a cakewalk for Big Blue.

If New York does win, however, it will likely trigger John Harbaugh to be that much more assertive in making a big move before the deadline.

We know the Giants are in hot pursuit of Jonathan Taylor. They are also looking for defensive tackle help and have been interested in Vita Vea.

A loss to Philly wouldn't necessarily stop New York from swinging a significant trade, but it could make the Giants a bit more hesitant.

But if New York emerges from Lincoln Financial Field with a victory, it would all but assure that the Giants will do something before Tuesday's cutoff.

New York has not hosted a home playoff game since its last Super Bowl run 15 years ago. Harbaugh is well aware of that, and winning the division in his inaugural campaign would make him an overnight sensation in the Big Apple.

Harbaugh is already approaching that territory, as this is the best the Giants have looked in what seems like eons. Yes, New York did make the playoffs during Brian Daboll's first season in 2022, but everyone could see that was smoke and mirrors.

This Giants squad obviously has plenty of holes and isn't a legitimate Super Bowl contender at the moment. Especially not with all of the injuries it has. But what's clear is that this is the most well-coached the G-Men have been since Tom Coughlin patrolled the sidelines over a decade ago.

Harbaugh knows what's at stake here, and beating the Eagles on Sunday could very well put him over the edge in terms of making a potential game-changing trade in the coming days.