The New York Giants (0-2) will visit the Cleveland Browns (1-1) at Huntington Bank Field in Cleveland, Ohio this Sunday.
That, of course, provides those of us here at Giants Wire the opportunity to hypothetically steal from the Browns’ roster in search of depth and/or talent upgrades for Big Blue.
Immediately, our eyes are drawn to defensive end Myles Garrett and how could they not be? Garrett is a game-changing edge rusher who provides a consistent weekly presence, which is something the Giants do not have with Kayvon Thibodeaux and Brian Burns. However, given the numbers at the position and financial allocation, Garrett is really more of a want than a need.
Tight end David Njoku is another extremely tempting option and likely would have been our choice if the Giants didn’t have much more pressing needs on the defensive side of the ball.
Ultimately, we settled on cornerback Denzel Ward as our theft of choice.
A former first-round draft pick (No. 4 overall), Ward has carved out a nice career for himself since 2018. He was named to the PFWA All-Rookie Team that year and has been named to three Pro Bowls, including last season when he allowed a reception percentage of just 51.5%.
In 81 career games (78 starts), Ward has recorded 274 tackles (10 for a loss), five QB hits, 0.5 sacks, three forced fumbles, five fumble recoveries, 80 passes defensed, 15 interceptions, and two defensive touchdowns.
Although Ward is a little weak against the run, he’s stout in coverage and would be an immediate upgrade over Cor’Dale Flott and Nick McCloud on the outside.
What are your thoughts, Giants fans? Would you pick Denzel Ward or would you steal an entirely different player from the Cleveland Browns?
