Trade! Giants get DE Boogie Basham from Bills, per report

The New York Giants are acquiring defensive end Boogie Basham from the Buffalo Bills in a trade, NFL insider Tom Pelissero reported on Tuesday morning.

A 2022 second-round pick by the Bills (61st overall), the 6-foot-3, 281-pound Basham has 4.5 sacks over two seasons. He has played in 23 regular season games.

The Giants got Basham and a 2025 seventh-round pick in exchange for a 2025 sixth-round pick.

Basham, 25, could play as a hand-in-the-ground defensive end or as a standup edge defender for the Giants. He adds depth to a group where I had only Kayvon Thibodeaux, Azeez Ojulari, Jihad Ward and Tomon Fox predicted to make the 53-man roster. In 2022, Pro Football Focus shows Basham as having played the majority of his 291 defensive snaps as a standup edge defender.

Head coach Brian Daboll said Tuesday the Giants will use Basham as an edge defender.

This is the second trade the Giants have made in the past few days to supplement their front seven, having acquired Isaiah Simmons from the Arizona Cardinals last week.

Here is a pre-2021 draft scouting report on Basham from Pro Football Network:

Positives: Tough, explosive, and instinctive defender with a complete game. Intelligent but also a slug-it-out defender. Immediately diagnoses and unfolds plays and shows speed moving in every direction. Plays with proper pad level out of a three-point stance, effectively uses his hands to protect himself, and displays a variety of moves getting off blocks.

Forceful up the field, rarely off his feet and consistently attracts double-team blocks. Chases the action hard and plays through the whistle on every snap. Displays good change-of-direction skills and speed up the field and possesses a closing burst. Stays with assignments and plays within the system.

Negatives: Lacks bulk and gets out-positioned from the action by a single blocker. Does not display a great first step off the snap.

Analysis: Basham is a defensive prospect who checks all the boxes — instincts, intensity, and athleticism. He was asked to do more than to rush the passer at Wake Forest and effectively handled assignments, but when let loose at the Senior Bowl as a pass rusher, he was a dominant force. I prefer Basham in a system that stands him over tackle, and he comes with a large upside.

Here is some info on Basham from Matt Warren of SB Nation’s Buffalo Rumblings:

“The Bills tried to revamp their position by drafting three defensive ends in the first two rounds of the 2020 and 2021 NFL Drafts. Second-rounders A.J. Epenesa and Basham haven’t shown enough development, so Buffalo signed Von Miller in 2022 and Leonard Floyd in 2023. All those additions left them in a numbers game this season and Basham likely had the higher trade value of Epenesa/Basham with another year on his rookie deal. Basham and Epenesa split time as the fourth DE over the last two seasons. There’s no way to think he wasn’t a major disappointment in Buffalo but hopefully he can turn a corner with the Giants.”

Raptor’s thoughts

This is another solid move by GM Joe Schoen that’s in line with what the Giants have done with their defensive front this year. The Giants have invested pretty heavily in their defensive line this year, adding big, strong defenders to stiffen up a line that was gashed on the ground. And at 6-foot-3, 285(ish) pounds, Basham also shares a body type with Jihad Ward. He’s likely a direct backup to Ward.

Basham was a popular player prior to the 2021 NFL Draft due to his play strength and competitive toughness — not to mention good collegiate production. He totaled 35.5 tackles for a loss and 19.5 sacks in 42 career games at Wake Forest. Basham is powerful player in a straight line, stout on the edge, and gives good effort in pursuit.

However, he also lacks lateral agility and lower-body bend, and his go-to swim move can leave his trunk exposed to blockers. Personally, I was skeptical of his NFL ceiling because of those limitations, and his 4.5 career sacks seem to confirm that skepticism. I projected a move inside to 4i or 5-technique for him (from his 7-tech position in Wake Forest’s four-man front). That’s the role he would likely play for the Giants as a “Jihad Ward type”, while also occasionally rushing off the edge in certain packages. Wink Martindale’s propensity to scheme free runs for individual rushers should help Basham when he’s on the field, but he’ll also likely be tasked with holding blockers for blitzing DBs or linebackers. The name recognition left over from Basham’s draft process is exciting, but this move is more about shoring up the Giants’ defensive depth. And from that perspective, Schoen continues to shine.