When the New York Giants signed guard Daniel Faalele before the 2026 NFL Draft, reactions were surely divided. On one hand, Faalele was reuniting with his former head coach, John Harbaugh, in New York. On the other, his signing raised a few eyebrows, considering his struggles over the past couple of seasons with the Baltimore Ravens under Harbaugh. Now, months later, the Giants have made a significant roster move following their preseason opener.
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The Giants are trading Faalele to the Jacksonville Jaguars in exchange for a Day 3 pick in the 2027 NFL Draft. The development gained momentum just days after the Giants’ 13-10 loss to the Minnesota Vikings in the preseason opener, where Faalele played 13 snaps at left guard and struggled. While there’s no denying that Faalele stands at a staggering 6-foot-8, weighing 380 pounds, his struggles were hard to overlook.
In the preseason opener, he struggled in pass protection and posted a 0.0 pass-blocking grade per Pro Football Focus and a 40.2 overall score in 13 snaps. At the same time, his move to left guard also raised concerns, given he had played right guard for two seasons in Baltimore.
For a broader context, the Baltimore Ravens drafted the 26-year-old guard in the fourth round of the 2022 NFL Draft. After playing a backup in his first two seasons, Faalele started every game in 2024 and 2025 at right guard. However, the veteran struggled to put up an impressive outing, as he allowed 30 pressures last year and 62 pressures since becoming the starter in 2024.
This is exactly why the Giants’ decision to sign him earlier this offseason drew criticism. At the same time, the Giants drafted Francis Mauigoa in the first round to play right guard, paving the way for Faalele to move to left guard. However, that decision didn’t receive much praise either, as Faalele had not played left guard in a regular-season game since 2022.
That said, with Daniel Faalele now out of New York, veteran Aaron Stinnie is expected to solidify his spot on the roster. As for Faalele, he’s now joining the Jaguars just months after signing a one-year deal with the Giants.
The Jaguars, meanwhile, traded for Faalele amid a major injury concern, considering right guard Patrick Mekari has been sidelined following his back surgery. Whether Faalele will start at right guard during the 2026 season, however, remains to be seen.