There are no friendships within NFL divisions — especially in the NFC East. The quadrant of teams, famous for not having a repeated winner since the Bush administration, is as competitive as they come. That didn’t stop the New York Giants though, who agreed to trade defensive tackle Jordan Phillips to the Dallas Cowboys Tuesday evening.
Giants Trade Jordan Phillips to the Dallas Cowboys in Rare Deal
Phillips, a nine-year NFL veteran, has suited up for 120 games, but never one with the Giants. New York added the former Miami Dolphin, Arizona Cardinal, and Buffalo Bill this offseason, signing him to a one-year deal worth $1.79 million. He’ll now play for America’s team.
Unusual as it is to see two rivals help each other out, this is a move that makes sense for both squads. Dallas has struggled at the defensive tackle positions for years. The team’s have looked unreliable so far during camp as well with Carl Davis missing Wednesday’s practice and Albert Huggins being thrown out of it after shoving a Rams staffer.
Unlike Dallas, the Giants are a team fully committed to a rebuild, even despite what their 2022 playoff berth might argue. They picked at six overall this year and have a roster covered with question marks. They need all the picks they can get their hands on to say the least.
What did New York get Back?
In return, New York received a sixth round pick for the 2026 NFL Draft. They’re sending Dallas a seventh rounder also in 2026.
Past sixth rounders in the Joe Schoen regime include linebacker Darrian Beavers and cornerback Tre Hawkins III, who both remain on the team. Beavers tore his ACL last preseason but is now looking to make a comeback. Hawkins played minimally last year but now has ample room to grow with veteran Adoree Jackson off the team.
New York also selected linebacker Darius Muasau this year out of UCLA in the sixth round. Determining whether or not any of these late-rounders develop into solid NFL products will take time, but Muasau has some early momentum having posted the fifth highest Pro Football Focus grade of any Giant in their first preseason game vs the Detroit Lions last week.
What this says about the team
The Giants are as equipped as anyone at defensive tackle with two-time Pro Bowler Dexter Lawrence working for them down in the trenches. He’s also backed by nine-year veteran and Super Bowl champion Rakeem Nunez-Roches. Having said that, their decision to cut ties with Phillips more so speaks to the team’s depth behind those two than anything else.
Undrafted rookie Elijah Chatman has already been a standout at camp. The 23-year-old led the Giants in total pressures vs the Lions on Thursday. Defensive line coach Andre Patterson even called him “the strongest guy on the team,” earlier this week.
Elijah Chatman #94 lead the team in total pressures from the Lions preseason game. Here are some of his best plays. He’s been really fun to watch in camp so far pic.twitter.com/1L3gNl8rKw
— Justin Penik (@JustinPenik) August 12, 2024
The Giants also have seventh-round pick Jordan Riley, who also shined in New York’s preseason bout with Detroit. There’s another youngster in Ryder Anderson to consider as well, who the team signed as an undrafted free agent last year.
Main Photo Chris Pedota, NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK
