One player New York Giants would steal from Buccaneers

The New York Giants (2-8) will host the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-6) at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey on Sunday afternoon.

That, of course, provides those of us here at Giants Wire the opportunity to hypothetically steal from the Buccaneers’ roster in search of depth and/or talent upgrades for Big Blue for the second time this season.

In going over Tampa Bay’s roster, there doesn’t appear to be an abundance to choose from. Most of the Bucs’ top stars play positions the Giants aren’t in desperate need to improve.

Options include offensive tackle Tristan Wirfs, wide receivers Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, quarterback Baker Mayfield, edge rusher Yaya Diaby, and cornerback Zyon McCollum.

McCollum was very nearly the choice but it’s hard to tell if his 2024 success is an anomaly or if he’s truly turned a corner and will be a viable long-term starter. The Giants certainly have a need at cornerback but he feels too risky.

Ultimately, we opted to go with nose tackle Vita Vea, who is still on the right side of 30 and would help the Giants in a variety of ways.

Although Vea is not an elite run defender, he is above-average in that department and provides a solid pass rush from the interior. And you might be thinking, “Why would the Giants need that when they have Dexter Lawrence?”

The answer is simple: They have nothing other than that and are routinely exposed when Lawrence is off the field.

Vea would not only serve as a sub option for Lawrence, but he could also line up alongside him and help strengthen the unit as a whole.

In nine games this season, Vea has recorded 31 tackles (20 solo, eight for a loss), one pass defensed, seven QB hits, and 5.0 sacks. And those 5.0 sacks are more than all Giants defensive tackles outside of Lawrence have combined (4.0).

What are your thoughts, Giants fans? Would you pick Vita Vea or would you steal an entirely different player from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers?