New York Giants‘ general manager Dave Gettleman made a risky trade for defensive lineman Leonard Williams in 2019. Giving up a third-round pick and a fifth-round pick in a rebuild for a a first-round bust seemed risky. Believe it or not, this is one of the moves that will shape Gettleman’s future for Big Blue.
Assessing the Leonard Williams Trade
How It Started
Many fans and sports pundits criticized Dave Gettleman for trading for the former first-round pick. Especially in the middle of a rebuild. Up to that point in the 2019 season, Leonard Williams failed to record a sack. In previous years for the New York Jets, Williams recorded 17 sacks in four years. Williams made a Pro Bowl as a Jet in 2016.
Anyone who defended the trade made the argument that sacks were not always the end-all stat and that pressures and quarterback hits counted as well. Before being traded, Williams recorded six pressures and five quarterback hits. Those stats were underachieving compared to his first couple of seasons with the Jets. It is also worthy to note that Williams only played 34 percent of the Jets’ defensive snaps before being traded.
Leonard Williams recorded half of a sack (David Mayo with the other half) on Carson Wentz on December 29th, 2019, marking his first sack in Blue. Williams finished 2019 with 46 tackles, three pass deflections, 0.5 sack, 23 pressures (17 with the Giants), and 16 quarterback hits (11 with the Giants).
Williams was set to see a new system, being that Giants’ defensive coordinator James Bettcher did not return for the Joe Judge era. Judge hired former Dolphins’ defensive coordinator Patrick Graham to be his replacement.
How It Is Going
If the New York Giants did not retain Leonard Williams, the trade would look awful on Dave Gettleman’s resume. Williams wanted “Khalil Mack money” from Big Blue or any other team willing to spend on the 2015 1st-round pick.
Instead, the Giants hooked Williams on the infamous franchise tag. The cost was $16.1 million. Considering a good portion of the Giants’ cap space went to Williams, many fans were angered. Though he filed a grievance about money and position, Williams signed his franchise tag in April.
Even with Big Blue retaining Williams, they still had enough cap space to sign big money free-agents like linebacker Blake Martinez and cornerback James Bradberry.
Blowing out expectations, Leonard Williams is currently the best active rusher the Giants have. Williams seems to fit well in Patrick Graham’s defense thus far through nine games. Through nine games, Williams recorded 32 tackles, five sacks, 11 quarterback hits, and 15 pressures. He is on track to beat his single-season sack record of seven (2016). If he does beat his record and keeps playing consistent for the Giants, extending him to a big-deal may not be a bad idea.
The Other Side Of The Trade
The New York Jets acquired a 2020 third-round pick and a 2021 fifth-round pick in exchange for Williams last October.
Joe Douglas and the Gang Green front office used one of the two picks on California safety Ashtyn Davis. Davis is taking part in replacing the void left by star Jamal Adams, who the Jets traded to the Seahawks during training camp.
In coverage, Davis (through seven games) allowed five completions on eight targets for 70 yards and a touchdown with a passer rating of 130.2. He has also recorded 15 tackles.
The Results
Though the Jets are 0-9 and Leonard Williams is outperforming his expectations for the Giants, there is no clear winner yet. Gang Green needs to see what type of player Ashytn Davis can be. Not to mention, the Jets have yet to use the fifth-round pick the Giants gave up.
However, for an early projection, it appears the New York Giants exceeded expectations and won this trade.
