Giants May Trade Defensive Tackle Darius Alexander
The New York Giants are open to moving defensive tackle Darius Alexander before the NFL trade deadline after his struggles in run defense.
Updated on Nov. 3, 2026 in Football
The New York Giants may trade defensive tackle Darius Alexander at the NFL trade deadline, according to the extraction. The move could come after the Giants' final game before the deadline, a Sunday matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field.
Why it matters
Alexander, drafted by the Giants in the third round in 2025, has slowly fallen out of favor largely because of his run defense struggles. The Giants need defensive line depth and have expressed openness to moves that could help them win their first division title since 2011.
Alexander has 0.5 sacks, seven combined tackles and one quarterback hit this season after starting one game, with a 3.6% run stop rate tied for 111th of 133 players. Whether a trade materializes before the deadline remains unconfirmed.
The players
Darius Alexander
Alexander is a defensive tackle the Giants drafted in the third round in 2025, and he has struggled to provide run defense this season.
New York Giants
The Giants are an NFL franchise based in the New York metropolitan area that has not won a division title since 2011.
The details
Alexander was a healthy scratch in the Giants' Week 2 game against the Los Angeles Rams. The Jacksonville Jaguars recently lost defensive tackle DaVon Hamilton to a season-ending quad injury, and the Washington Commanders lost Daron Payne to a season-ending injury at practice, which the extraction links to defensive line needs around the league.
Timeline
Week 2: Alexander was a healthy scratch against the Los Angeles Rams.
Sunday: The Giants play the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field, their final game before the NFL trade deadline.
Week 11: The Giants face the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Season Trajectory
The possible move comes as the Giants weigh deadline decisions while pursuing their first division title since 2011. Teams across the league, including the Jaguars and Commanders, are dealing with defensive tackle injuries that tighten the market for line depth before the deadline.
If a trade happens, Alexander's role in the Giants' defensive rotation would change before the deadline passes. Fantasy managers tracking Giants defensive linemen would need to adjust their projections based on his reduced snap share.
The takeaway
Teams rarely move depth linemen without a clear need, so the deadline pressure on the Giants' defensive front is worth watching. Readers following the team should track the Sunday game in Philadelphia for any roster signals.
What happens next
The Giants' Sunday game against the Eagles is their final game before the NFL trade deadline, the point at which any Alexander trade would have to happen.
Further reading
For more on the league's roster moves, see Football coverage.
