The New York Giants are trading Eli Apple to New Orleans, per a source informed of the move. New Orleans is sending a 2019 fourth-round pick and a 2020 seventh-round pick in return.
The trade ends Apple’s tumultuous tenure in New York. Big Blue made the 6-foot-1 corner the No. 10 overall pick in 2016. After a solid rookie season, however, things turned rocky, and trade rumors swirled since the 2017 offseason. Last December, safety Landon Collins went so far as to call Apple a “cancer.”
New general manager Dave Gettleman said repeatedly this offseason that Apple had a clean slate with himself and the new coaching staff. That slate lasted just seven games. For the season, Apple played in five tilts (missing two with a groin injury), compiling 23 tackles and five passes defended. He ranks as the 55th-best corner by Pro Football Focus through seven weeks.
The Saints have been searching for an upgrade at corner to pair with Marshon Lattimore. Ken Crawley, who has started opposite the reigning Defensive Rookie of the Year, has been getting picked out liberally.
While Apple isn’t Peterson, who Saints fans have been hoping to acquire from the Arizona Cardinals, the former first-round pick remains an upgrade. Perhaps a change of scenery can help Apple realize his talent both on and off the field.
