With the NFL trade deadline on Tuesday, the 2-6 Giants, who lost to the Jets 13-10 in OT on Sunday, made a move.
New York traded defensive lineman Leonard Williams to the Seattle Seahawks for a 2024 second-round draft choice and a 2025 fifth-round selection, the team announced Monday.
Ironically, the Giants acquired Williams from the Jets four years ago yesterday for third and fifth-round draft choices.
The 5-2 Seahawks, now in first place in the NFC West, beef up their defensive line with the move, but they gave up some decent draft capital to get him.
The nine-year veteran played his 61st regular-season game for the Giants after playing the first 71 games of his career with the Jets. He started 53 of those games for the Giants.
This season, he played all eight games with seven starts and has 21 tackles (13 solo), 1.5 sacks and five quarterback hits. Williams had two tackles against the Seahawks on Oct. 2. In the Giants’ victory last week in Washington, he blocked a 27-yard field goal attempt by Joey Slye, the team’s first such block since 2015.
With the Giants, the 29-year-old totaled 230 tackles (115 solo), 22.5 sacks (including a career-high 11.5 in 2021), 162 quarterback hits, four forced fumbles, and four fumble recoveries.
Fortunately or unfortunately for Williams, the Seahawks had their bye in Week 5 immediately after defeating the Giants on Monday night, Oct. 2. The Giants don’t have their bye until the first weekend in December. Williams will not get a bye week and, barring an injury will play in 18 regular-season games this year.
Without Williams, the Giants’ defensive line room includes 2022 Pro Bowler Dexter Lawrence, Rakeem Nunez-Roches, A’Shawn Robinson, D.J. Davidson, and rookie Jordon Riley, who has been active for just two games this season but will presumably be in uniform more often after Williams’ departure. Another lineman, Ryder Anderson, is on the practice squad.
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