Mar 252022
 
Richie James, San Francisco 49ers (August 22, 2021) 4

Richie James – © USA TODAY Sports

NEW YORK GIANTS SIGN RICHIE JAMES…
The New York Giants have signed unrestricted free agent wide receiver Richie James (San Francisco 49ers) to a 1-year contract.

The 26-year old, 5’9”, 185-pound James was originally drafted in the 7th round of the 2018 NFL Draft by the 49ers. In his first three years in San Francisco, James played in 40 regular-season games with 10 starts, catching 38 passes for 689 yards and three touchdowns. He also returned 47 kickoffs for 1,081 yards (23 yards per return) and one touchdown and 51 punts for 373 yards (7.3 yards per return). James missed all of the 2021 season with a knee injury.

For an overview of all Giants’ free agent signings, see the 2022 New York Giants Free Agent Signings and New York Giants 2022 Free Agency Scorecard sections of the website.

J.R. REED SIGNS WITH BRONCOS…
New York Giants safety J.R. Reed has signed a 1-year contract with the Denver Broncos. Reed was eligible to be tendered as an exclusive rights free agent by the Giants, but the team chose not to, making him an unrestricted free agent.

The Giants signed Reed off of the Practice Squad of the Los Angeles Rams in late October 2021. He played in eight games with New York with no starts (10 percent of defensive snaps in those games) and was credited with 13 tackles. He saw extensive time in two mid-season games, playing poorly in one and better in the next.

The 6’1”, 194-pound Reed was originally signed as an undrafted rookie free agent by the Jacksonville Jaguars after the 2020 NFL Draft. The Jaguars waived him in September 2020. Reed was then signed by the Rams, where he spent time on both their Practice Squad and 53-man roster. He has played in a total of 16 games, with no starts.

Mar 162022
 
Jarren Williams, New York Giants (January 2, 2022)

Jarren Williams – © USA TODAY Sports

NEW YORK GIANTS RE-SIGN JARREN WILLIAMS AND CASEY KREITER…
The Giants have re-signed exclusive rights free agent cornerback Jarren Williams and unrestricted free agent long snapper Casey Kreiter.

The Giants signed Williams to the Practice Squad in late September 2021 and the 53-man roster in December. He ended up playing in six games with two starts (49 percent of snaps in those games) and finished the season with 17 tackles and one pass defense. In the two games that he started, Williams impressed in one and struggled in the other. Williams was originally signed by the Arizona Cardinals as an undrafted rookie free agent after the 2020 NFL Draft. The Giants signed signed Williams in early August 2020 after he was waived by the Cardinals. He spent most of 2020 on the Giants’ Practice Squad, but did play in two games exclusively on special teams.

The Giants signed long snapper Kreiter s an unrestricted free agent from the Denver Broncos in April 2020. The 6’1”, 250-pound Kreiter was originally signed as an undrafted rookie free agent by the Dallas Cowboys after the 2014 NFL Draft. After spending two camps with the Cowboys, Kreiter made the Denver Broncos in 2016. He made the Pro Bowl for his performance in 2018.

GIANTS DO NOT TENDER JAKE FROMM AND J.R. REED…
The Giants have not tendered quarterback Jake Fromm and safety J.R. Reed, both of whom were set to be an exclusive rights free agents on Wednesday. This means the team is unlikely to want to re-sign either.

The Giants signed Fromm to the 53-man roster from the Practice Squad of the Buffalo Bills in late November 2021. Due to injuries to the other quarterbacks and the ineffective play of Mike Glennon, Fromm unbelievably was thrust into the starting line-up for two games and coming off the bench in a third. The results were not good, with Fromm completing 45 percent of his passes for 210 yards, one touchdown, and three interceptions. He finished with a terrible 38.9 quarterback rating and was 0-2 as a starter. The 6’2”, 215-pound Fromm was originally drafted by the Bills in the 5th round of the 2020 NFL Draft.

The Giants signed Reed off the Practice Squad of the Los Angeles Rams in late October 2021. He played in eight games with New York with no starts (10 percent of defensive snaps in those games) and was credited with 13 tackles. He saw extensive time in two mid-season games, playing poorly in one and better in the next. The 6’1”, 194-pound Reed was originally signed as an undrafted rookie free agent by the Jacksonville Jaguars after the 2020 NFL Draft. The Jaguars waived him in September 2020. Reed was then signed by the Rams, where he spent time on both their Practice Squad and 53-man roster. He has played in a total of 16 games, with no starts.

For an overall of the Giants’ free agency activity, see the New York Giants 2022 Free Agency Scorecard section of the website.

GIANTS OFFICIAL 2022 NFL DRAFT ORDER…
After the awarding of 39 compensatory picks to various NFL teams, the 2022 NFL Draft order has been officially established. (The Giants did not receive any compensatory picks for their 2021 free agent losses). The Giants have nine picks, as follows:

  • 1st Round (5, 5th overall)
  • 1st Round (7, 7th overall)
  • 2nd Round (4, 36th overall)
  • 3rd Round (3, 67th overall)
  • 3rd Round (17, 81st overall) (from Miami)
  • 4th Round (7, 112th overall) (from Chicago)
  • 5th Round (4, 147th overall)
  • 5th Round (30, 173rd overall) (from Baltimore)
  • 6th Round (3, 182nd)

MEDIA SESSION WITH JON FELICIANO…
The video of the media session with center/guard Jon Feliciano is available on YouTube.

Feliciano confirmed that the Giants will use him at center.

“I’ve been in a lot of people’s ears for a lot of years trying to get into the center position,” Feliciano said. “I honestly think it’s my best position, and I’m just really excited to finally get to show what I’ve got… It was definitely – I wanted to play center. There were other teams that were talking, and I believe in myself, and I believe that the center position is where I’ll be best. Thankfully, (offensive line coach) Bobby (Johnson) and (head coach Brian) Daboll agreed and we got it to work out.

“Going back to my Oakland days, I had a guy, Rodney Hudson, who’s a top-tier, one-two center, the last 10 years. I got to pick his brain and learn from him, and (former Raiders’ offensive line coach) Mike Tice, and (his assistant) Tim Holt, I took those four years of being a rotational guy, a backup guy, to learn a position that I didn’t play in college (Miami). In college, I played both tackles and then left guard.

“So, from those first four years I got to learn center and I really fell in love with it. Just the responsibility that is on your hands to come in every week and everything is basically on you. You’ve got to know the defense. You’ve got to make all the calls for the guys around you. I take a lot of pride in knowing that stuff.”

Oct 262021
 
Jabrill Peppers, New York Giants (October 24, 2021)

Jabrill Peppers – © USA TODAY Sports

The New York Giants announced on Tuesday that safety Jabrill Peppers has been placed on Injured Reserve with two significant right-leg injuries, including a ruptured ACL and a high ankle sprain. His season is over. Peppers suffered the injuries in the 3rd quarter of Sunday’s 25-3 win over the Carolina Panthers. This season, Peppers played in six games, with five starts, and 58 percent of all defensive snaps. He finished with 30 tackles, one sack, and one pass defense.

To fill that roster vacancy, the team signed safety J.R. Reed off of the Practice Squad of the Los Angeles Rams. The 25-year old, 6’1”, 194-pound Reed was originally signed as an undrafted rookie free agent by the Jacksonville Jaguars after the 2020 NFL Draft. The Jaguars waived him in September 2020. Reed was then signed by the Rams, where he spent time on both their Practice Squad and 53-man roster. Reed has played in eight regular-season games, including one this year.

In other moves, the Giants have waived wide receiver David Sills and cornerback Josh Jackson from the 53-man roster, and terminated the Practice Squad contract of defensive lineman Woodrow Hamilton.

Sills was signed to the Practice Squad in early September 2021 and then the 53-man roster in October. The 6’3”, 211-pound Sills was originally signed as an undrafted rookie free agent by the Buffalo Bills after the 2019 NFL Draft. The Giants signed Sills to the Practice Squad in September 2019 after he was cut by the Bills. The Giants then signed him to the 53-man roster in mid-December 2019. He did not play in a game however. Sills was placed on season-ending Injured Reserve in early September 2020 with a broken right foot.

The Giants acquired Jackson by trade from the Green Bay Packers in exchange for cornerback Isaac Yiadom. The 6’0”, 196-pound Jackson was drafted in the 2nd-round of the 2018 NFL Draft by the Packers. In three seasons with the Packers, Jackson played in 42 regular-season games with 15 starts, including five in 2020.

Hamilton was signed to the Practice Squad in October 2021. The 6’3”, 315-pound Hamilton was originally signed as an undrafted rookie free agent by the New England Patriots after the 2016 NFL Draft. He has spent time with the Patriots (2016), New Orleans Saints (2017-2018), Giants (2018), Carolina Panthers (2019-2020), and Tennessee Titans (2021). The Titans waived him in October 2021. Hamilton has played in nine regular-season games with one start.