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Roster Transactions

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5 things to know about Giants DL Leonard Williams

Move over Chris Foote. Leonard Williams is now the answer to a local trivia question.

Per NFL Research, today's trade was the first between the Giants and Jets since 1983. In that deal, the Giants traded Foote, an offensive lineman, to the Jets for a conditional draft pick. The Jets later waived Foote, which voided the draft pick, but the deal still counted.

That was something you didn't need to know. Here are five things you do need to know about the newest member of the Giants:

1. Originally the sixth overall pick in the 2015 NFL Draft, Williams never missed a game with the Jets. He started 70 of 71 career games and recorded 240 tackles (32 for loss), 90 quarterback hits, 17 sacks, two forced fumbles and an interception.

2. Last season, Williams was just one of five 3-4 defensive linemen with at least 20 quarterback hits and 10 tackles for loss. The others were J.J. Watt, Calais Campbell, DeForest Buckner and Chris Jones.

3. According to Pro Football Focus, the 6-foot-5, 302-pounder ranks third in the NFL in total run stops (97) among all at his position since 2016.

4. Williams recorded a team-high 32 quarterback hurries as a rookie in 2015 and was part of a defensive front that established a new franchise mark for fewest rushing yards allowed per game. The team also established a new franchise low with just four rushing touchdowns allowed. The following year, Williams recorded career highs in both sacks (7.0) and tackles (86). He was selected to the Pro Bowl and named Curtis Martin Team MVP.

5. The USC product was a first-team All-Pac-12 selection in 2014. He was a finalist for the Hendricks Award and a semifinalist for the Lombardi Award, Bednarik Award and Lott IMPACT Trophy. Born in Bakersfield, California, Williams was a Super Prep All-American and Prep Star All-American at Mainland High School in Daytona Beach, Florida.

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