The New York Giants are watching from afar, a team that has Daniel Jones at quarterback completely implode. The Indianapolis Colts are coming off of an embarrassing loss on Sunday, where they handed the Tennessee Titans their first win of the season. Less than 24 hours later, the Colts officially fired general manager Chris Ballard after 10 years on the job.
With the Colts at 2-4 on the season, and everyone under evaluation, it may only be a matter of time until they decide to hold a fire sale. That is, the Colts decide to trade away some of their top players to recoup some draft assets in the near future. One player that stands out is defensive tackle DeForest Buckner, who looked incredibly frustrated after the loss to the Titans, and is set to hit free agency at the end of the season.
Buckner should be a player the Giants are at least considering trading for, especially if they want to make a push for a playoff spot.
DeForest Buckner would fix Giants run defense's struggles
This past offseason, the Giants were taking a gamble by trading away Dexter Lawrence, even though he had no intentions of remaining with the team. Lawrence was, even after a down 2025 season, one of the best interior defensive linemen in the game. Replacing him was always going to be tough.
The Giants brought in D.J. Reader and Shelby Harris to try and fill the void left by Lawrence. The duo was never going to replicate his production. However, it goes without saying, the Giants' run defense is easily one of the team's major weak points.
Through six games this season, the Giants have allowed an average of 135.5 rushing yards per game, which is the fourth-highest in the entire NFL. Given the state of the NFC East, with the Philadelphia Eagles' and Dallas Cowboys' seasons careening off of a proverbial cliff, the Giants have an easy path to a playoff spot. But if Harbaugh wants to make some noise and ensure the tea goes on a lengthy run, they'd need to improve the rush defense. Bringing in Buckner would help with that.
Buckner is a gigantic presence to place on the interior of the defensive line, as he's 6-foot-7 and weighs 295 pounds. What's most impressive is that he's been rushing the passer this season, logging 18 total pressures, nine quarterback hurries, and six sacks in six games. That would make the Giants defense that much more impressive, as he can line up alongside Abdul Carter, and help fill the void left by Brian Burns, who is out for the season due to a knee injury.
Giants must beware of Colts' potentially high asking price for DeForest Buckner
There are a couple of things the Giants must monitor. They have to see where they sit in the playoff picture. Yes, while their three division foes are in bad shape, the Giants haven't exactly run away with the division just yet. The last thing they want to do is give up draft capital for a failed pursuit of a playoff spot.
Next up, they'd have to monitor just what the Colts would want in return in a Buckner trade. In 2027, the Giants don't have a ton of draft assets at their disposal. They traded their fourth round pick to trade up for wide receiver Malachi Fields, flipped their fifth round pick to acquire quarterback J.J. McCarthy, and gave away their seventh-round pick to the Miami Dolphins in the Darren Waller trade.
Ideally, giving up some 2028 draft capital might be the most ideal, since the Giants own each of their picks in the first six rounds.
Let's face it, the Colts would want a lot in return for their best players. Let's not forget that they don't own their first-round pick this year due to the Sauce Gardner trade with the New York Jets. They will undoubtedly want to try and get back into the first round somehow, someway, and perhaps trading one of their best players would help with that. Do we think Buckner will command a first-round pick? No, especially since Buckner is in a walk year. But given their prospects in the near future, it may be best for them to pick up as much premium draft capital.
Would Buckner help the Giants? Yes. But they can't overpay for him if they don't have a feasible shot at a playoff spot.
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