Giants Trade Joshua Ezeudu to Chiefs for 2028 Seventh-Round Pick
The move comes two days after Harbaugh detailed plans to use Ezeudu at guard and tackle, and marks the Giants' second offensive line trade of the preseason with the 53-man cutdown five days away.
The Giants traded guard Joshua Ezeudu to the Kansas City Chiefs on Tuesday for a 2028 seventh-round draft pick, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo. The Athletic confirmed the trade separately through a league source.
Ezeudu, a third-round pick out of North Carolina in 2022, started 10 games and appeared in 33 with the Giants. A calf injury sidelined him for all of 2025, according to The Athletic.
The trade came two days after head coach John Harbaugh, at a Sunday news conference, explained why the Giants had settled on guard as Ezeudu's primary position while keeping him able to play tackle. Giants Wire's John Fennelly reported his full comments:
"The position flex is the idea, and you may have noticed he went back out to tackle in the fourth quarter, so the ability for him to play both guard and tackle, particularly on the right side, would be helpful for us," Harbaugh said. "And that's our thought. He's kind of getting to the point now where we feel like he could swing right tackle, right guard. Right now we're kind of keeping him off the left side and just keeping him to the right side, and that helps a little bit with some of the techniques. It's like a hitter; he's not a switch hitter right now on both sides, but he is playing both the inside position and the outside position. So, we think he's ready for it, that he can handle it, and that gives us some position flexibility as a backup."
It's the Giants' second offensive line trade of the preseason. New York traded guard Daniel Faalele to the Jacksonville Jaguars on Aug. 19 for a 2027 sixth-round pick, a deal that saved $1.075 million in cap space, according to Over The Cap.
Pro Football Focus ranked the Giants' offensive line 23rd entering the season, down from ninth a year ago, in a ranking published the day after the Faalele trade and before Tuesday's deal.
Ezeudu's roster spot had already drawn scrutiny. Sports Illustrated's Bob Folger wrote Sunday that if the Giants had to choose between Ezeudu and rookie J.C. Davis for a roster spot, "the choice is clear in our eyes: it's got to be Davis." Ezeudu left Saturday's preseason win over Miami with a lower-body injury after being kicked in the leg during the game, an injury the team called day-to-day. The trade settled that competition without a roster cut.
New York's initial 53-man roster is due by 6 p.m. ET Sunday, Aug. 30, after the team's preseason finale Friday, Aug. 28, against the Jets.