The New York Giants are 4-2-1 and sitting atop the NFC East, but their run defense is a major hole that needs filling before the trade deadline. Rushing yards allowed per game rank fifth in the league, while yards per carry stand second-highest. Head coach John Harbaugh knows the roster needs more help if they want to win a division title for the first time since 2011. The team cannot rely solely on veterans D.J. Reader and Shelby Harris to stop the run every single week.
DeForest Buckner and Jeffrey Simmons, the top names on the trade block, are now off the market. The Giants missed out on Simmons because the cost was too high. According to Yahoo Sports, the Chicago Bears acquired him for a package of two first-round selections and a fourth-round pick. That price tag was simply too steep for general manager Joe Schoen to pay. Now the front office must look at the remaining options to shore up the defensive line depth.
The Case for Roy Lopez
For a team with limited cap space, the best move is to target Roy Lopez of the Arizona Cardinals. At age 29, he enters the initial season of his two-year, $10.5 million agreement. Sports Illustrated notes that Lopez’s weekly base salary for Giants roster presence totals exactly $117,647. The price per game played this year is only $20,000. This is a low-risk gamble compared to the high draft picks needed for other stars.
Since 2021, Lopez played in 85 of 87 career games, demonstrating exceptional durability. His 18 tackles and 16 run stops rank fourth among defensive tackles with 200+ snaps. He is exactly the type of gap stuffer the Giants need to plug the middle. If the team wants to make a playoff push, this is the most logical target available.
Why Austin Johnson Is a Risk
The Giants could also look at free agent Austin Johnson, but he brings less certainty. He would probably cost very little in salary cap space and would not cost a draft pick. However, the team has no guarantee on his availability or health compared to a player under contract. The Giants have already seen their young core struggle to rise to the occasion when Reader and Harris rest. They need a known commodity, not a roll of the dice on a veteran with no team.
Ralph Vacchiano of FOX Sports recommended Grover Stewart as a target, but his contract situation makes him difficult. Per Big Blue View, the pro-rated portion of Stewart’s contract would cost the Giants roughly $7.2 million in cap space. The team currently has only $7.6 million available under the cap. Acquiring Stewart would require significant salary cap juggling just to get him on the roster.
A Win Now or Go Home
The Giants cannot afford to let their defensive line go off the rails again. The team has enough weapons on offense as long as J.J. McCarthy keeps playing well. Injuries ending the seasons for linebackers Brian Burns and Tremaine Edmunds have battered the defense, requiring fortification. SI’s Conor Orr admitted he was wrong to doubt the team after their win over Houston. “I posted this on Sunday, and I want to echo it here: I am fully aboard the Giants’ bandwagon (mostly because my 5-year-old has adopted them as his team),” Orr said. “But I deserve to pay an entrance fee first in the form of a public flogging, given that I was very, very hard to convince.”
The clock is ticking toward the Nov. 10 deadline. The Giants should cut the check for Lopez and stop looking for cheap fixes. This is the only way to protect their lead in the division.
