By Michael Stewart/@golferbad
The New York Giants will have only 6 picks in the upcoming 2021 NFL draft and still have lots of needs to fill. They also currently have limited cap space before the free agent period begins, so how will GM Dave Gettleman find the needed cap space to add any talent in free agency? One way would be by subtraction of two current players on the roster who still have some value to trade for added draft picks and also add more to the cap space. In this two-part series we will examine which top 3 teams could have interest in making a trade with the Giants top two trading chips. This article will focus on Tight End Evan Engram:
Tight End Evan Engram
Engram will carry a $6.013M salary entering the 2021 season with no dead money attached. This will be Engram’s 5th season with the Giants and during his first four seasons, many would agree his overall production has been a disappointment. Here are my top 3 teams that could still believe Engram has value and could have interest in him.
New England Patriots: Head Coach Bill Belichick loves his tight ends and perhaps he might still believe Engram has the talent to finally reach his potential with a change of scenery. The Patriots will have roughly $54.9M in cap space and their current roster only has Ryan Izzo and 2020 rookie Devin Asiasi who combined for 15 catches for 238 yards and 1 touchdown.
Indianapolis Colts: The Colts will be major participants this off season as their 1st priority will be finding their quarterback for 2021 (Matthew Stafford trade option). They also could be interested in acquiring a tight end with Engram’s qualities as their current group consists of Trey Burton, Jack Doyle and Mo Alie-Cox. Burton and Alie-Cox will also be free agents and Doyle has been in decline and injured over the past couple of seasons. The Colts will have approximately $68.9M in cap space and could have interest in Engram and re-signing Alie-Cox to form a solid duo at the tight end position. The Colts would then cut Doyle after June 1st and save $5.1M in cap space and only absorb $750K in dead money.
Jacksonville Jaguars: The Jaguars will have the 1st pick in the draft and unless they make the blunder of the century, they will select quarterback Trevor Lawrence. It would be nice to give Lawrence a tight end who can stretch the field and with a little over $69M cap space, perhaps the Giants could make a deal. The Jaguars have two of their current tight ends heading for free agency in Eric Saubert and James O’Shaghnessy, who had a combined production of 31/278/0 and not expected to return. The Jaguars will have Tyler Eifert returning in 2021 and perhaps adding the dynamics of an Engram with the steadiness of an Eifert would peek the Jaguars interest. The Jaguars could also cut Eifert and save $5.25M in cap space; while only absorbing $1.125M in dead money.
The million dollar question is: what could the Giants get for Evan Engram? Engram did get selected to the Pro Bowl, so would that increase his market value? I believe there are still teams willing to invest in Engram and that a change of scenery would benefit him. Back to my opening question: what can the Giants get for Engram? I still believe the Giants have a chance to get a 3rd round pick in return as a best case scenario, but a 4th round pick will more than likely is more realistic. If the Giants are considering trading Evan Engram, this is the time to do it. Next Article: Possible trading partners for offensive Guard Kevin Zeitler.