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by Craig J. Santucci @NYGiantsRush

How many elite NFL players get traded in the prime of their careers? Not many. Is Leonard Williams an Elite player? Track record says…no.

The Giants traded for DT Leonard Williams yesterday and gave up a third-round pick in 2020 and transaction 4th rounder in 2021 if the Giants resign Williams before Free Agency.

The Jets will be paying into the transaction to the tune of $4MM. His 2019 cap hit was $14.2MM. One would figure that Gettleman has plans to do everything possible to resign Lawrence becuase a 2-6 football team does not need an eight-game rental.

Lawrence can be disruptive and has the ability to play inside or outside but his production has been a roller coaster and he is not a dynamic pass rusher. His current numbers are nonexistent, possibly stemming from an unhappy situation.

Stats:

  • 2015 – 63 tackles | 3 sacks | 7 TFL | 21 QB hits
  • 2016 – 68 tackles | 7 sacks | 11 TFL | 19 QB hits
  • 2017 – 47 tackles | 2 sacks | 3 TFL | 25 QB hits
  • 2018 – 42 tackles | 5 sacks | 11 TFL | 20 QB hits
  • 2019 – 20 tackles | 0 sacks | 0 TFL | 5 QB hits

Crowded Meeting Room:

The Giants like BJ Hill and of course their 1st round pick Dexter Lawrence so this could be a sign that the Giants do not plan on resigning DT Dalvin Tomlinson who is currently in his 3rd year. Tomlinson is a nice player but rarely shows any true explosive nature upfront. After trading “Snacks” to the Lions, Tomlinson moved into the run stuffer role and struggled. With Lawrence now in the fold, one would figure Tomlinson would thrive. That has not happened.

The Giants defense has been bad at almost all positions. There are very few playmakers on the defense that was built inside, out…stockpiling Defensive Tackles and converted Defensive Ends such as BJ Hill, Dexter Lawrence, Dalvin Tomlinson, RJ McIntosh, and Olsen Pierre. Good role players like Romeo Okwara and John Jenkins were released. The outside linebackers on this Giants team also show very little game-changing ability.

At some point, Shurmur, Gettleman, and Mara need to ask themselves is it the players or James Bettcher and his system. Bettcher has shown very little in making in-game adjustments or the ability to punch an offense in the mouth. The blitz-happy, coordinator has all but disappeared.

Maybe a change of scenery will help Leonard Williams find that desire to be great while giving Bettcher a new toy. I can’t see the Giants paying Williams $12MM to $14MM a season with a declining resume. Maybe a long walk down the hall to the different locker room will help ignite his desire to be great.

Otherwise…it’s another Gettleman head-scratcher.