New York acquired veteran tight end Tim Sherwin from…
New York acquired veteran tight end Tim Sherwin from Indianapolis on August 15, 1988 for the Giants' 1989 seventh-round draft choice. Sherwin appeared in three regular-season games for New York without a reception before injuries ended his playing career. Indianapolis used the acquired No. 185 selection on defensive back Charles Washington, who played all 16 games for the Colts as a rookie.
Indianapolis Colts Received
- pick 1989 seventh round pick (#185-Charles Washington)
New York Giants Received
- player Tim Sherwin
Trade Analysis
The August 15, 1988 transaction has a clean player-to-pick chain. Pro Sports Transactions records Indianapolis sending tight end Tim Sherwin to the New York Giants for the Giants' 1989 seventh-round selection, No. 185 overall. Pro Football Reference's August 1988 transaction log independently confirms the Colts-to-Giants trade, and the Colts' own historical draft ledger identifies Charles Washington at No. 185 as a selection obtained from New York for Sherwin. That lets TradeVerdicts remove the generic undisclosed-consideration placeholders from the legacy row and evaluate the actual exchange. Sherwin had been a durable contributor for the Colts earlier in his career. NFL career statistics show 79 games for Baltimore/Indianapolis from 1981 through 1987, with 39 starts, 76 receptions, 1,002 yards and two receiving touchdowns. By 1988, however, his availability was becoming the central issue. He appeared in only three regular-season games for the Giants, made no starts and recorded no receptions. Pro Football Archives records the August trade and an injured-reserve placement later that month, and contemporary reporting from the following year described the injury as career-ending. New York therefore received only three games of roster presence from the veteran and no offensive production. Indianapolis converted that departing veteran into a draft asset with measurable value. The Colts used No. 185 on defensive back Charles Washington. Pro Football Reference records Washington playing all 16 games for Indianapolis as a rookie in 1989. He did not become a long-term Colt, but he continued in the NFL with Kansas City and Atlanta and finished with 74 regular-season games, two starts and six weighted career AV. For the trade itself, the most defensible realized value is Washington's full 16-game rookie season for Indianapolis against Sherwin's three games and zero receptions for New York. That supports a Colts win without overstating a seventh-round success. Indianapolis receives a B- for converting an aging, injury-limited tight end into a usable rookie defensive back. New York receives a D+ because the acquired veteran contributed virtually nothing before his career ended. Confidence is high because the transaction, exact selection, downstream player and both players' realized outcomes are all directly documented.