The New York Giants traded a 2025 sixth-round draft pick to the Buffalo Bills this week in exchange for defensive end Carlos “Boogie” Basham Jr. and a 2025 seventh-round selection.
The trade was unexpected to many, but not so to the principals involved. Basham and Giants general manager Joe Schoen have a relationship that goes back to before the 2021 NFL draft when Schoen was the assistant general manager of the Bills and Basham was a draft prospect out of Wake Forest.
“He’s the reason I got drafted in Buffalo in the first place,” Basham said of Schoen at his introductory press conference on Wednesday. “To come in here, he wanted me here, so that’s like a little bond we got right there for sure.”
The Bills selected Basham in the second round of the draft that year, 61st overall.
“(Schoen was) one of the first scouts that contacted me, talked to me in the process and he was like, ‘I really want you in Buffalo.’ I knew it was going to happen eventually, just had that bond with him before he left Buffalo,” Basham said.
Now, Basham and Schoen are reunited. The addition of Basham is another step in Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll’s quest to mold the team’s roster according to the vision.
Basham is excited to play for Daboll, who was the Bills’ offensive coordinator when Basham arrived in Buffalo in 2021.
“He always had that mindset that he wanted to be a head coach, even when he was an offensive coordinator,” Basham said of Daboll. “Just a matter of time. I’m thankful that I get the opportunity to play for him. He’s crazy, you know he’s got his little sayings here and there, I’m already used to it, but it’s a great opportunity.”
Basham was a defensive end in Buffalo in a 4-3 alignment. His role will be slightly different in coordinator Wink Martindale’s 3-4 based scheme.
“We’ve got to get him out here and see what he can do,” Daboll said on Wednesday. “He ran a different system, a 4-3 system at Buffalo with his hand in the ground, defensive end. But he’s 275 pounds. He’s a thick body. We’ll ask him to do the same stuff that all of our outside backers do.”
Basham said he’s ready for whatever role the Giants have in store for him.
“For me, it’s going out there for my family, playing for these guys. They don’t really know me yet, but I am definitely a team player, ready to give all I’ve got,” Basham said.
Basham said Martindale had little to say to him this far about his role, except that is will be as a stand-up outside linebacker.
“Just physical, knock back, that’s all they need me to do. The rest of it will come,” Basham said.
He revealed that he has played some outside backer in the past and said it was something he could transition to full-time.
“You’re standing up, so you are a little higher so sometimes you just have to adjust your body a little bit,” he said.
Many will be wondering why the Bills gave up on the promising pass rush specialist so soon. Basham knows he has no control over that. Ha can only look forward.
“I would say just it is what it is, it’s part of the business. No hatred towards them at all. Thankful for the opportunity, but now it’s just all about the Giants. I’m here and ready to play ball,” he said.
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