NFL Trade Rumors: What Mike Williams Would Bring to New York Giants

With Victor Cruz on the shelf for the rest of the 2014 NFL season, the New York Giants are looking at a potential replacement to bolster the offense.

The New York Giants lost more than just a divisional matchup vs. the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday night–a 27-0 shutout. New York lost its most explosive and energetic player in wide receiver Victor Cruz.

Cruz tore the patellar tendon in his right knee in the back corner of the end zone on what would have been the Giants’ first score of the night. Instead, Cruz went down in a heap of pain and was carted off the field, with experts saying he’ll be out of action for the remainder of the 2014 campaign.

Left as mainstay wide receivers for Eli Manning are rookie Odell Beckham Jr., who has just two games of experience under his belt, and Rueben Randle, who is still developing and coming into his own as a receiver in the Giants’ offense.

An injury suffered to starting running back Rashad Jennings–who had been rolling and was fifth in the league in rushing before going down with a sprained MCL vs. the Atlanta Falcons–only further compounds Big Blue’s offensive situation at the moment, which is why they’re in the market for another wide receiver.

According to multiple reports, including NFL.com’s Chris Wesseling, Buffalo Bills’ wideout Mike Williams is the target of a trade to the G-Men, as the NFL trade rumors swirl.

Ian Rapoport originally reported that Williams had been given permission to seek a trade from the Bills.

Williams, a five-year NFL veteran, has been a non-factor for the 3-3 Bills this season. In five games, the 27-year-old WR has just eight receptions for 142 yards and a touchdown, and has watched rookie Sammy Watkins, Fred Jackson, Scott Chandler and Robert Woods receive a majority of the targets.

So, the questions remains: does Williams fit into the Giants’ offense?

I say yes.

At 6’2”, 212 lbs., Williams has good size and can match up with some of the more physical corners in the NFL. In the Giants’ offense, he’d be better utilized on the outside, with Beckham Jr. operating in the slot. During his time with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Williams proved to be a deep threat, which is something the Giants could definitely use at this point in the season with Cruz on the shelf.

Williams, a fourth rounder out of Syracuse, has a proven body of NFL work from his first four seasons spent in Tampa Bay.

As a rookie in 2010, Williams hauled in 65 receptions for 964 yards and 11 touchdowns–receiving and touchdown marks that were team-highs. Again in 2012, Williams was a productive wide out for Tampa, catching 63 passes for 996 yards and nine scores.

New York desperately needs help on the offensive side of the ball, especially after putting up a goose egg vs. the rival Eagles on national television. The Giants will look to run the ball more, especially once Jennings returns, but in the meantime, there needs to be a balance between the pass and rush to keep the opposing defense on their toes.

That opposing defense will be the Dallas Cowboys, whom the Giants draw this weekend on the road.

After watching the Cowboys go into Seattle and beat the Seahawks–an extremely rare feat–New York has to step up on offense to keep up with a Dallas offense that’s rolling right now with the No. 1 rushing attack in the league, thanks to DeMarco Murray.

The Giants still have some road blocks to get past to make this trade work, though. For one, the Bills want a draft pick in return–one worthy of a No. 1 pick–which I don’t see happening, and two, Williams is guaranteed $5.2 million for the 2015 season, which is a hefty sum to pay for a wide receiver who has never surpassed the 1,000-yard mark.

Getting Williams isn’t the be all, end all for the Giants, but it would definitely add another dimension that the offense desperately needs.

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