New York Giants Sign Four and Cut Four

 Posted by
May 182022
 
Maurice Canady, Baltimore Ravens (October 6, 2019)

Maurice Canady – © USA TODAY Sports

The New York Giants have signed the following unrestricted free agents:

  • DE Jalyn Holmes (New Orleans Saints)
  • CB Maurice Canady (Dallas Cowboys)
  • CB Khalil Dorsey (Baltimore Ravens)
  • S Henry Black (Green Bay Packers)

Both Canady and Dorsey have previous experience with former Ravens and current Giants defensive coordinator Don “Wink” Martindale. Holmes was coached by former Vikings and current Giants defensive line coach Andre Patterson in Minnesota.

The 26-year old, 6’5”, 283-pound Holmes was originally drafted in the 4th round of the 2018 NFL Draft by the Minnesota Vikings. In three seasons with the Vikings, Holmes played in 25 regular-season games with nine starts. All of his starts came in 2020 as he was credited with 36 tackles and two pass defenses. The Vikings waived him in September 2021, and he was then signed by the Saints. He played in eight games with one start and was credited with 14 tackles and one pass defense.

The 27-year old, 6’1”, 200-pound Canady was originally drafted in the 6th round of the 2016 NFL Draft by the Ravens. He has spent time with the Ravens (2016-2019), New York Jets (2019), and Cowboys (2020-2021). The Ravens cut him in November 2019 and he was then claimed by the Jets. Canady signed with the Cowboys in March 2020, but opted out of the 2020 NFL season due to COVID. Canady has played in 40 regular-season games with four starts. He played in eight games in 2021 with the Cowboys, but missed half the season with a concussion that landed him on Injured Reserve. In those eight games, he played just 14 percent of defensive snaps and was credited with six tackles.

The 24-year old, 5’9”, 181-pound Dorsey was originally signed as undrafted rookie free agent by the Ravens after the 2020 NFL Draft. He played in six games as a rookie in 2020, almost exclusively on special teams. Dorsey missed all of 2021 with an injury that landed him on Injured Reserve in August. The Ravens chose not to tender him as an exclusive rights free agent.

The 25-year old, 6’0”, 204-pound Black was originally signed as an undrafted rookie free agent by the Green Bay Packers after the 2020 NFL Draft. In two seasons, he has played in 25 regular-season games with no starts, While most of his playing time has come on special teams, he did play in 24 percent of all defensive snaps in 2021 and was credited with 38 tackles, one interception, and one forced fumble. The Packers chose not to tender him as an exclusive rights free agent.

To make room for these four, the Giants cut the following players:

  • QB Brian Lewerke (waived)
  • DE Raymond Johnson (waived)
  • LB Trent Harris (contract terminated)
  • S Jordan Mosley (waived/injured)

Lewerke was signed late in the preseason in August 2021 and then to the Practice Squad in early September 2021. The 6’3”, 216-pound Lewerke was originally signed as an undrafted rookie free agent by the New England Patriots after the 2020 NFL Draft. The Patriots waived him in early September 2020.

The Giants signed Johnson as an undrafted rookie free agent after the 2021 NFL Draft. He surprisingly made the team, played in 15 games with no starts (16 percent of all defensive snaps), and finished the season with three tackles, one tackle for a loss, and one sack.

Harris was signed to the Practice Squad in early September 2021 and the 53-man roster in November. The Giants then placed him on Injured Reserve in early December with an ankle injury and waived him at the end of the month. He played in four games with no starts (15 percent of defensive snaps in those games), finishing with seven tackles. The 6’2”, 255-pound Harris was originally signed as an undrafted rookie free agent by the New England Patriots after the 2018 NFL Draft. He spent his rookie season on the Practice Squad of the Patriots. The Miami Dolphins claimed Harris off of waivers in September 2019. He played in 11 games with three starts with the Dolphins, accruing 20 tackles and 1.5 sacks. The Dolphins cut him in early September 2020. The Giants signed Harris to the Practice Squad and then the 53-man roster in October 2020; he was re-signed to the Practice Squad in December after playing in four games with two starts (26 percent of all defensive snaps in those games). He finished they year with five tackles and 0.5 sacks.

Mosley was signed four days ago after impressing as a rookie tryout player during the team’s rookie mini-camp.

Giants Begin Lining Up Potential GM Candidates

 Posted by
Jan 102022
 
Kevin Abrams, New York Giants (June 12, 2018)

Kevin Abrams – © USA TODAY Sports

GIANTS BEGIN LINING UP POTENTIAL GM CANDIDATES…
According to various press reports, the list of potential candidates for the vacant general manager position is beginning to emerge. Thus far, the Giants will attempt to interview:

  • Kevin Abrams, Vice President of Football Operations/Assistant General Manager, New York Giants
  • Ryan Cowden, Vice President of Player Personnel, Tennessee Titans
  • Monti Ossenfort, Director of Player Personnel, Tennessee Titans
  • Joe Schoen, Assistant General Manager, Buffalo Bills
  • Ryan Poles, Executive Director of Player Personnel, Kansas City Chiefs

GIANTS RE-SIGN EIGHT PLAYERS…
The Giants have re-signed the following eight players to reserve/future contracts:

  • QB Brian Lewerke
  • WR Travis Toivonen
  • TE Jake Hausmann
  • OT Devery Hamilton
  • DL David Moa
  • LB Omari Cobb
  • LB Trent Harris
  • LB Niko Lalos

New York Giants Make Eight More Roster Moves

 Posted by
Sep 032021
 
Dexter Williams, Green Bay Packers (August 8, 2021)

Dexter Williams – © USA TODAY Sports

The New York Giants have re-signed quarterback Brian Lewerke, wide receiver Dante Pettis and linebacker Trent Harris to the Practice Squad. All three players were with the Giants in training camp this summer. The team also signed running back Dexter Williams to the Practice Squad.

The Giants signed Brian Lewerke in August 2021. The 6’3”, 216-pound Lewerke was originally signed as an undrafted rookie free agent by the New England Patriots after the 2020 NFL Draft. The Patriots waived him before the 2020 season started in early September.

The Giants claimed Dante Pettis off of waivers from the San Francisco 49ers in early November 2020. He played in the final two games of the season for the Giants, catching four passes for 76 yards and one touchdown. The 6’1”, 195-pound Pettis was originally drafted in the 2nd round of the 2018 NFL Draft by the 49ers. He has played in 30 regular-season games, with 12 starts. Pettis has experience returning kickoffs and punts.

The 6’2”, 255-pound Harris was originally signed as an undrafted rookie free agent by the New England Patriots after the 2018 NFL Draft. He spent his rookie season on the Practice Squad of the Patriots. The Miami Dolphins claimed Harris off of waivers in September 2019. He played in 11 games with three starts with the Dolphins, accruing 20 tackles and 1.5 sacks. The Dolphins cut him in early September 2020. The Giants signed Harris to the Practice Squad and then the 53-man roster in October 2020; he was re-signed to the Practice Squad in December after playing in four games with two starts (6 percent of all defensive snaps). He finished they year with five tackles and 0.5 sacks.

The 24-year old, 5’11, 212-pound Williams was originally drafted in the 6th-round of the 2019 NFL Draft by the Green Bay Packers. In two seasons with the Packers, Williams played in seven regular-season games with no starts. He has seven career rushing attempts for 19 yards.

In corresponding moves, the Giants terminated the Practice Squad contracts of tight end Nakia Griffin-Stewart, guard Jake Burton, and center Brett Heggie.

The 6’5”, 260-pound Griffin-Stewart was originally signed as rookie free agent by the Minnesota Vikings after the 2020 NFL Draft. He also spent time on the Practice Squad of the Green Bay Packers that year before being signed to the Practice Squad of the Giants in November 2020. The Giants cut him in December 2020 but re-signed him in January 2021.

The Giants signed Burton and Heggie as an undrafted rookie free agents after the 2021 NFL Draft.

Lastly, the Giants waived wide receiver Alex Bachman from Injured Reserve with an injury settlement.

The Giants placed Bachman on Injured Reserve in late August 2021 with an unknown injury. The 6’0”, 190-pound Bachman was originally signed as an undrafted rookie free agent by the Los Angeles Rams after the 2019 NFL Draft. The Rams cut him before the season started and the Giants signed him to their Practice Squad in November 2019. Bachman also spent two stints on the team’s Practice Squad in 2020.

 

Giants Trade for Ben Bredeson, Reduce Roster to 53 Players

 Posted by
Aug 312021
 
Ben Bredeson, Baltimore Ravens (August 28, 2021)

Ben Bredeson – © USA TODAY Sports

NEW YORK GIANTS TRADE FOR BEN BREDESON…
The New York Giants have acquired by trade offensive guard Ben Bredeson from the Baltimore Ravens. In return for the Giants’ 4th-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, the Giants received Bredeson and the Ravens’ 5th-round selection in 2022 (acquired from the Kansas City Chiefs) and 7th-round selection in 2023.

Ravens Receive:
Giants 4th-round 2022 Selection

Giants Receive:
Ben Bredeson
Ravens 5th-round 2022 Selection (from Chiefs)
Ravens 7th-round 2023 Selection

The 23-year old, 6’5”, 315-pound Bredeson was originally drafted in the 4th round of the 2020 NFL Draft by the Ravens. He played in 10 games with no starts as a rookie.

NEW YORK GIANTS REDUCE ROSTER TO 53 PLAYERS…
On Tuesday, in order to meet the NFL’s 53-man roster limit, the New York Giants made the following 27 roster moves:

Remain on the Physically-Unable-to-Perform (PUP) List:

  • CB Aaron Robinson (core muscle)

Placed on Injured Reserve:

  • WR Austin Mack
  • WR Alex Bachman
  • OG Ted Larsen

Waived or contracts terminated:

  • QB Brian Lewerke
  • RB Corey Clement
  • RB Sandro Platzgummer
  • WR David Sills
  • WR Matt Cole
  • WR Damion Willis
  • TE Nakia Griffin-Stewart
  • TE Jake Hausmann
  • OC Jonotthan Harrison
  • OC Brett Heggie
  • OG Kenny Wiggins
  • OL Chad Slade
  • OL Jake Burton
  • OL Jackson Barton
  • DL David Moa
  • DL Elijah Qualls
  • DL Willie Henry
  • LB Ifeadi Odenigbo
  • LB Devante Downs
  • LB Ryan Anderson
  • LB Niko Lalos
  • CB Madre Harper
  • S Chris Johnson
  • S Jordyn Peters
  • LS Casey Kreiter

According to the team’s press release, Kreiter will be re-signed.

Giants Trade for CB Keion Crossen, Sign Another QB, and Place Three on IR

 Posted by
Aug 162021
 
Keion Crossen, Houston Texans (January 12, 2020)

Keion Crossen – © USA TODAY Sports

The New York Giants have acquired cornerback Keion Crossen from the Houston Texans in exchange for a 6th-round draft pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.

The 25-year old, 5’10”, 185-pound Crossen was originally drafted in the 7th round of the 2018 NFL Draft by the New England Patriots. He was traded to the Texans in August 2019. In three NFL seasons, Crossen has played in 43 regular-season games with four starts in 2020 for the Texans. That year, he was credited with 42 tackles and five pass defenses. Crossen has also been credited with 28 special teams tackles in the regular and post-season.

Quarterback Clayton Thorson suffered a concussion against the New York Jets late in the game on Saturday evening. The Giants waived/injured him today and signed quarterback Brian Lewerke.

The 24-year old, 6’3”, 216-pound Lewerke was originally signed as an undrafted rookie free agent by the New England Patriots after the 2020 NFL Draft. The Patriots waived him before the 2020 season started in early September.

The Giants signed Thorson to the Practice Squad in late September 2020. The 6’4”, 222-pound Thorson was originally drafted in the 5th round of the 2019 NFL Draft by the Philadelphia Eagles. The Eagles cut him in August 2019 and he was then signed to the Practice Squad of the Dallas Cowboys. The Cowboys cut him in early September 2020.

The Giants also placed on offensive guard Kyle Murphy (ankle), linebacker T.J. Brunson (torn ACL in left knee), and safety Joshua Kalu (torn pectoral) on Injured Reserve. All three were hurt during Saturday’s game against the New York Jets.

The Giants signed Murphy as an undrafted rookie free agent after the 2020 NFL Draft. He was signed to the Practice Squad in early September and then signed to the 53-man roster in mid November. Murphy did not play in a regular-season game in 2020.

The Giants selected Brunson in the 7th round of the 2020 NFL Draft. Brunson spent most of the season on the inactive list, but he did play in five games, almost exclusively on special teams. He was credited with three tackles.

The 6’0”, 203-pound Kalu was originally signed as an undrafted rookie free agent by the Tennessee Titans after the 2018 NFL Draft. In his three seasons with Tennessee, Kalu played in 28 regular-season games with no starts, accruing 24 tackles, one pass defense, and one forced fumble. He also blocked a field goal. The Giants signed Kalu as an unrestricted free agent from the Titans in March 2021 after the Titans chose not to tender him as a restricted free agent.