Should Giants nab Dolphins RB in Darius Slayton trade?

NY Giants training camp is less than a month away and you kind of get the feeling general manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll aren’t finished putting the finishing touches on the roster.

The new regime has been busy shedding salary all offseason, but don’t expect Schoen and Daboll to rest on their laurels during summer break. Whether it be signing a veteran for a camp tryout or browsing the trade market to offload more salary, it wouldn’t be surprising if the Giants made another splash move.

With limited flexibility ($6.22 million in cap space), the most likely scenario is orchestrating a trade for Darius Slayton. Leading up to the 2022 draft, Dan Duggan of The Athletic reported New York would be willing to jettison Slayton, whose production has left a lot to be desired as he enters a contract year.

Assuming that’s still the case, ESPN’s Mike Clay proposed a player swap with the Dolphins that would see the Giants nab running back Myles Gaskin in return.

Should the Giants pursue Miami Dolphins running back Myles Gaskin in a potential Darius Slayton trade?

This would hardly be a money-saving maneuver by the Giants, as Slayton is slated to pocket $2.561 million in 2022 compared to Gaskin’s $2.598 million earnings.

At this point, however, Schoen and Daboll should take anything they can get for the 2019 fifth-round pick, who caught a measly 26 passes for 339 yards and two touchdowns in 13 games last year despite Kenny Golladay, Sterling Shepard and Kadarius Toney coming in and out of the lineup due to injury.

In this scenario, New York would net needed insurance behind Saquon Barkley. A Barkley trade is unlikely, but rumors are (still) swirling, so it wouldn’t hurt to add an extra RB just in case the former No. 2 pick is offloaded.

Currently buried on the Dolphins’ running back depth chart after the team added Chase Edmonds, Raheem Mostert and Sony Michel in free agency, Gaskin has two seasons worth of experience as Miami’s lead back and he can handle his own both between the tackles and as a pass-catcher.

We all know Daniel Jones’ penchant for throwing to Barkley out of the backfield, and Gaskin’s 91 catches since 2020 rank 11th at the position.

The Dolphins are far from the only potential suitor for Slayton, but the fact Gaskin has been demoted to fourth in the RB pecking order makes this an ideal proposition for both clubs. While Gaskin would get the chance to supplant the oft-injured Matt Breida for the backup role behind Barkley, Slayton would be in pole position to nab the No. 4 WR spot in Miami behind Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle and Cedrick Wilson.

Doesn’t sound like a bad idea.

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