Giants trade deadline analysis: No deals as GM Joe Schoen keeps the future in mind

The New York Giants stood pat at the 2022 NFL trade deadline. And that is just fine.

It would have been nice if GM Joe Schoen had been able to add wide receiver or tight end help for quarterback Daniel Jones and the Giants’ 30th-ranked passing offense. It did not happen.

The Giants will roll with what they have. They will hope Darius Slayton continues to play well. They will hope second-round pick Wan’Dale Robinson remains healthy and becomes a bigger part of the passing offense. They will hope to get something — anything — from Kenny Golladay over the season’s final nine games. They will hope rookie tight end Daniel Bellinger returns returns sooner rather than later from his eye injury.

They will hope that head coach Brian Daboll and offensive coordinator Mike Kafka can continue to find ways maximize their strengths and work around their weakness offensively.

I am sure there are many disappointed Giants fans who hoped to see the Giants add someone like Chase Claypool (traded from the Pittsburgh Steelers to the Chicago Bears), Jerry Jeudy of the Denver Broncos, Elijah Moore of the New York Jets, Brandin Cooks of the Houston Texans, or D.J. Moore of the Carolina Panthers.

Giants GM Joe Schoen admitted after Thursday’s deadline that he had discussions with teams.

“We had several conversations with teams on multiple positions, but the price point just didn’t work out,” he said. “It just didn’t work out. We were active with phone calls and trying to improve the roster, which we’ll continue to do.”

Schoen admitted that wide receiver was one of the positions about which the Giants had trade discussions.

“Wide receiver was part of the [trade deadline] conversation,” he said. “The guys have had good games, bad games ... Jacksonville, we’d like to have some of those drops back”

Reality is that the Giants were never going to give up what the Bears gave up to acquire Claypool, a second-round pick.

Nor should they have.

The Giants’ 6-2 record is nice. It is far better than where they had anticipated being at this point in the season. The Giants are still, though, a building team laying a foundation for the future. They are not at a ‘win now at all costs’ phase.

Schoen said Thursday that “you can’t be reckless” with draft capital.

Which is why, this time around, Schoen was right not to overpay for a quick fix to the roster.

Kadarius Toney trade

The Giants only deadline move turned out to be shipping Kadarius Toney to the Kansas City Chiefs for third- and sixth-round picks in the 2023 NFL Draft.

Schoen said on Thursday that trading Toney was the “best decision for the organization ... at the end of the day I think it was best for both parties.”

Of Toney’s claims that he was healthy when the Giants traded him, Schoen said that Toney was going to practice the day he was dealt.

What about Odell?

There is still one big fish out there, and Schoen did not close the door on a return to the Giants by free agent wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr.

“Obviously he’s a guy we would consider and talk to when he’s healthy,” Schoen said.

Beckham is still recovering from the torn ACL he suffered in the Super Bowl.