New York Giants Make 11 Roster Moves; Brian Daboll’s Sunday Press Conference

 Posted by
Aug 272023
 
Brian Daboll, New York Giants (August 26, 2023)

Brian Daboll – © USA TODAY Sports

NEW YORK GIANTS MAKE 11 ROSTER MOVES…
NFL teams must reduce their rosters from 90 to 53 by 4:00PM on Tuesday. On Sunday, the Giants announced the following 11 roster moves:

Waived:

  • RB James Robinson
  • WR Collin Johnson
  • DL Kevin Atkins
  • DL Donovan Jeter
  • CB Darren Evans

Contract Terminated (Vested Veteran):

  • WR Jaydon Mickens
  • OT Korey Cunningham
  • OT Julién Davenport
  • DL Brandin Bryant
  • OLB Tashawn Bower

Placed on Season-Ending Injured Reserve:

  • WR Bryce Ford-Wheaton (torn ACL)

The Giants still must make at least 26 roster moves by 4:00PM on Tuesday.

AUGUST 27, 2023 BRIAN DABOLL PRESS CONFERENCE…
New York Giants Head Coach Brian Daboll addressed the media on Sunday (VIDEO):

Q: With Isaiah Simmons, how quickly can you expect him to pick up everything the Giants do, including obviously (Defensive Coordinator Don Martindale) Wink and the defense?

A: Really, I think you have to get to know the player first and see what he can handle so we’re really in the introductory stages. I know he’s going to give everything he has and meet with (Inside Linebackers Coach John Egorugwu) Eggs and Wink and try to pick up all the things we need him to pick up. So, he’ll be in here, I’d say, a bunch kind of not just learning how we do things on the defensive side of the ball but learning how we do them in terms of our program and the expectations and the standards. Just talking to him the brief time I’ve had the chance to meet him and talk to him, I know he’s eager to do that and I expect him to be in here a bunch.

Q: When you find a player who it certainly seems is enthusiastic about the trade, happy for the new opportunity and comes with that mindset, how much easier does it make the transition for the player and the organization?

A: I think it’s good for both sides. I know he is excited to be here, we’re excited to have him, so it’s just going to require a good amount of hard work to try to catch him up as quickly as we can.

Q: When you guys signed (wide receiver Sterling Shepard) Shep in the offseason, I don’t know if there was any concrete expectation that he would be able to get as far as he has here, but has he shown you enough to prove to you that he could help this team this year?

A: Yeah, everything that we’ve asked him to do, and we’ve had a rehab plan I know that I’ve talked about for him. He’s done a nice job of kind of hitting each marker that we’ve set for him up to this point. Pleased with where he’s at, trainers have done a really good job with him and he’s done a good job himself, as a player, of being ready to go and I’d say performing well each time he’s had an opportunity to go out there on the practice field or in the game of being conscientious and knowing what to do. He’s looked pretty good in terms of his quickness and his explosion coming back after a couple years of injuries, so I’m pleased with where he’s at.

Q: I think there’s a lot of people on the outside looking at him playing last night and fielding that punt and saying, “that’s not a role that someone who’s got a secure place on this roster would be doing in this last preseason game.” Do you see it like that? What were you trying to get out of that last night?

A: That was the next step of his rehab. To get him out there and play a few more reps in live competition and again, I told you guys last night, he can catch punts and it’d be good for him to get out there in live action and catch a punt. Where he’s at and what we’ve asked him to do, I’m happy with the progress that he’s made.

Q: Is there any update on injuries?

A: I don’t have a lot of them because we’re not at that point yet. The one that I do have is (wide receiver) Bryce Ford-Wheaton. He’ll be out for the year. He had an ACL, unfortunately.

Q: Are any of the other ones—

A: The other ones, there’s still people getting looked at right now as we speak. So, I’ll have more for you guys Tuesday.

Q: The other guy I wanted to ask you about is (quarterback) Tommy DeVito. I think he called it his worst moment of his career, first pick six of his career. What did you say to him after that, and how do you feel he responded to that last night?

A: I said, ‘Go out there and sling it.’ Plays are going to happen. Bad plays are going to happen in a game, and to have a next play mentality, and go through the play and kind of see what happened, talk about it, and move on, and go out there and sling it around.

Q: Were you happy with what you saw from him in this camp, and did he maybe even exceed expectations?

A: I don’t really have expectations for any player when they come in here other than just come in here, work hard, learn the material and try to improve. I think he’s done all those since he’s been here. He’s been a good addition to our quarterback room. He’ll be the first to tell you, a long way to go, a lot to learn still, but certainly he’s gotten better each day he’s been here.

Q: Punt returner, do you have an answer there? Do you know who’s going to be the punt returner Week 1 right now?

A: Yeah, I have a good idea. But we’ll see.

Q: Is that (running back) Eric Gray, or is it somebody else?

A: Yeah, I mean, we’ll see. I’m not going to get into Week 1 and all that stuff right now. We’ll just kind of keep practicing here and see what happens.

Q: Why didn’t (guard) Tyre (Phillips) play last night?

A: He wasn’t ready to play relative to coming back from his injury.

Q: (Cornerback) Darnay Holmes, does he have value to this team? Obviously, it doesn’t seem like he won the slot corner job, but does he still have value to this team?

A: Yeah, sure. I’d say everybody we have right now has some sort of value. What that is, I think, is varying degrees, but I have a lot of confidence and trust in Darnay. We’ll see how everything plays out.

Q: I’m curious what went into the decision with (wide receiver) Collin Johnson as the guy who last year might’ve started prior to that injury, and he didn’t make it through the cuts this year. What kind of held him back? In your opinion, is he still kind of getting back from that Achilles injury?

A: That’s a good question. I’d say really with everybody that we’ve kind of moved on from and that we will move on from, it’s long discussions, they’re hard discussions. We have a room that we felt comfortable with. I figured it would be a good opportunity for him to get a jumpstart on potentially the next team doing him the right way. A guy that’s a hard worker, just we have some other guys that we’re going to keep.

Q: Continuing with the wide receiver position, are you planning to have (wide receiver) Wan’Dale (Robinson) on the initial 53, or at this point do you wait?

A: I’d say we’re still in discussions on that.

Q: Last year your roster, your situation was a little different in that you were just coming off a training camp, you were getting to know these guys, what they could do and what not, so when you cut guys your message to them from what I understand was stay ready in case we need you to come back. Is that still your message to these guys even though you have a better grasp on what you have and what you are going forward with?

A: Absolutely, yeah. One hundred percent. Again, those discussions are difficult. Had some this morning and that was really the message is everybody has to stay ready. I appreciate all their effort, their hard work that they have put into things. Unfortunately, it’s not going to work out being on the active roster but stay ready and I just appreciate everything that they’ve contributed up to this point, but tough days.

Q: When you make final cuts, how do you start? I mean do you sit there and go we want nine offensive linemen, or do you say give me your best four guys and we will build off that. How does that work?

A: That’s a really good question. So, (Senior Vice President and General Manager) Joe (Schoen) and I have a lot of discussions, as I have said numerous times. The scouting department, the guys I have mentioned before and he’s mentioned before that are actively involved, the coordinators and the position coaches give their input and then as we start having discussions about roster building, there is a lot that goes into it. I mean, there is a lot of different variables that go into it, so it’s not just let’s make sure we have this amount of players at this position or this amount of players at this position. Maybe you have more than you did last year at a particular position and then obviously you have less at another spot. If you take this guy, how does he contribute to the team, can he play multiple roles? Can he also do some stuff on special teams or this guy is just really good at this spot, so we need another backup for him because if he goes down then we have – there is just so many different variables that come up and we try to exhaust all of them with our conversations and bring other people that we have a lot of trust in, into them. Then ultimately try to make the best decision we can for putting a team together. You have to collect talent throughout the offseason and draft and free agency, but this is about building a team so there is a lot of different things that go into it.

Q: I don’t think we touched the defensive line yet, so, (defensive lineman) D.J. Davidson is another one who didn’t play last night, is that a little bit like Tyre where he just wasn’t ready?

A: Yes, yep, he is. Him and I’d say (defensive lineman) A’Shawn (Robinson), both were more rehab plan, if you will, than just weren’t playing them. We already had an idea that they weren’t going to play based on the training staff, the sports science people. So, that was the plan.

Q: And what’s the status with (defensive lineman) Ryder Anderson?

A: He’s still out so we will see where he’s at here over the next couple of days, but he’s still out for a little bit.

Q: With the way your schedule is structured and obviously the deadline sitting there on Tuesday, I assume you guys have discussed how you are going to go through this and go through the deadline. Is it important for you that when you hit the practice field on Tuesday that you kind of have things settled or are you ready to kind of go right up until the deadline with the numbers if there are guys that still have to be either waived or released. How are you guys handling that?

A: I think, this is pretty much the way it happens every year is early on in the season you put your roster together, but there is always things that happen throughout the league and cuts and maybe additions. We will do the best we can of putting it together and if there is changes that go all the way up until we can make them, then there is changes, but we have an idea. Actually, we’ve been talking after the game for a while, after we watched the game and then this morning. It’s kind of ever evolving, particularly early on in the season.

WHAT’S UP NEXT…
The players are off on Monday and return to practice on Tuesday afternoon (1:45-2:45PM).

Giants 2023 Positional Breakdown: Wide Receivers

 Posted by
Jun 232023
 
Isaiah Hodgins, New York Giants (January 15, 2023)

Isaiah Hodgins – © USA TODAY Sports

With New York Giants training camp beginning in late July, BigBlueInteractive.com (BBI) breaks down each of the team’s positional groups until the players report at Quest Diagnostics Training Center.

FIND A COMPLETE LIST OF ALL BREAKDOWNS HERE

POSITIONAL BREAKDOWN: Wide Receivers

2022 YEAR IN REVIEW: Plans quickly went awry at this position in 2022. On paper, $72 million Kenny Golladay, 2021 1st-round draft pick Kadarius Toney, the talented but oft-injured Sterling Shepard, and 2022 2nd-round pick Wan’Dale Robinson were to form the core of group that was supposed to provide a nice combination of size, speed, quickness, experience, and play-making ability. By year’s end, none were contributors. Golladay, perhaps the biggest bust in NFL free agent history, ended up with just six receptions on the season. Toney had two catches before being traded to the Chiefs. Shepard tore his ACL in Week 3 and Robinson tore his ACL in November.

Who picked up the slack? Unbelievably, Marcus Johnson started seven games, but only had nine receptions. David Sills started five games and had just 11 receptions. Richie James, who had been signed mostly for his return skills, led the group with 57 catches. Darius Slayton, who barely made the team as the 7th receiver and wasn’t even active early in the season, started a team-high 11 games at the position, and finished with 46 catches. As a group, Golladay (1), Toney, Shepard (1), Robinson (1), Johnson, Sills, James (4), and Slayton (2) had just nine touchdown catches. It was ugly and you’d be hard-pressed to find a worse group in the League.

The Giants did have some good fortune when they claimed little-known wideout Isaiah Hodgins off of waivers from the Buffalo Bills in early November. Due to the dearth of talent at the position and his experience with Brian Daboll, Hodgins quickly saw the field, playing in eight regular-season games with five starts. He finished with 33 catches for 351 yards and four touchdowns (team high tied with Richie James). In the playoff game against the Vikings, Hodgins caught eight more passes for 105 yards and a touchdown.

Collin Johnson, who was making some noise early, tore his Achilles’ tendon in training camp. Kalil Pimpleton, Makai Polk, and Jaydon Mickens were on the Practice Squad.

ADDITIONS/SUBTRACTIONS: The Giants finally had the cap room in March to cut Kenny Golladay after two seasons of his disastrous 4-year contract. The Giants appear to have made no effort to re-sign their leading receiver, Richie James, and he departed in free agency for the Chiefs. Marcus Johnson remains an unsigned free agent whose NFL career is likely over.

The Giants re-signed Isaiah Hodgins, Darius Slayton, Sterling Shepard, David Sills, Kalil Pimpleton, Makai Polk, and Jaydon Mickens with Slayton receiving the biggest investment at two years and $12 million.

The new additions have been significant. Parris Campbell, Jamison Crowder, and Jeff Smith were signed in free agency. The Giants traded up in the 3rd round to draft Jalin Hyatt. Bryce Ford-Wheaton was signed as a rookie free agent after the draft.

TRAINING CAMP STORY LINES:  The pundits, media, and some of the fans have focused on the apparent absence of a “true number one” wideout. Based on early indications, the number one target in this offense is actually going to be tight end/wide receiver hybrid Darren Waller with the true wide receivers being more complementary targets. The good news is that the Giants now appear to have a plethora of NFL-caliber options. There are no Toney’s refusing to practice. Or $72 million players who can’t get open, but you can’t cut. Marcus Johnson and David Sills won’t be starting. While there may be no Pro Bowlers, there could be eight guys on the team who are legitimate NFL players. The concern? What is the upside of all of these eight players? Will any of them present problems for opposing defenses? That remains to be determined.

The story lines are almost as numerous as the players vying for playing time. Who receives the most snaps? With Waller and Daniel Bellinger at tight end, how often will the Giants use 3- and 4-wide receiver sets? Can seriously injured players such as Wan’Dale Robinson, Sterling Shepard, and Collin Johnson regain earlier form? Will Robinson and Shepard start and/or finish training camp on the PUP? Can Parris Campbell stay healthy and re-capture his collegiate form as a true difference maker? Was Isaiah Hodgins productivity a mirage or did the Bills make a huge mistake? Does Jamison Crowder have anything left in the tank as receiver and returner? Can Jalin Hyatt get off press coverage and how rapidly can he be brought up to speed? How many make the 53-man roster?

ON THE BUBBLE: Last season, the Giants started the year with seven wide receivers on the 53-man roster. They will likely carry six or seven this year. The true locks are probably Wan’Dale Robinson (2nd round draft pick) and Jalin Hyatt (3rd round draft pick), with the caveat that Robinson may start and finish camp on the PUP. Early indications are that Parris Campbell will be a significant contributor and he’s very close to being a lock. One would think Isaiah Hodgins is a lock unless last year was truly a mirage. The Giants did re-sign Darius Slayton to a 2-year, $12 million deal so he should be more favored to make it as well. That’s five, leaving Sterling Shepard, Collin Johnson, and Jamison Crowder vying for one or two spots.

Though long shots, I would not completely discount Jeff Smith, Makai Polk, and Bryce Ford-Wheaton.

FROM TEAM COACHES/PLAYERS: Offensive Coordinator Mike Kafka on Jalin Hyatt: “Jalin is doing a nice job. He’s right on schedule. He’s working. He’s growing. That’s one thing you’ve seen from him from the first day in rookie camp, to the next day, then you’re working through this Phase III part of it, is his growth and his familiarity and comfortability with the offense.”

Wide Receivers Coach Mike Groh on Jalin Hyatt: “I think if we had major concerns (with the route tree) maybe he wouldn’t be here. Very pleased with what he has shown us on the field so far… We have a lot of confidence in the player that he can be. ”

Wide Receivers Coach Mike Groh on Parris Campbell: “I think he has done a great job of coming in and learning our system, being able to assimilate very quickly and build a relationship with Daniel (Jones) out there on the field, build that kind of rapport that is very important between quarterbacks and receivers.” (Note: Groh coached Campbell for two years with the Indianapolis Colts).

Parris Campbell on the wide receivers: “This is definitely probably the fastest total complete group that I’ve played with in my career. I mean, we’ve got speed all across the board. It’s speed that can do a lot of different things. It’s not just guys running in a straight line fast, it’s ball in the hands fast. In their routes fast. We complement each other. I’m excited for what’s to come.”

Sterling Shepard on the wide receivers: “It’s probably the (largest) receiver group I’ve been a part of since I’ve been here… We wanted to bring in competition… We’re definitely going to see what we have because we have a lot of guys that can play some good ball. I love the fact that we added more play-makers. It’s not just on one person to make all the plays. We’ve got a lot of guys that can do it.”

Sterling Shepard on his rehab status: “I’m right on schedule where I wanted to be, a little bit ahead… My goal is to be ready for the season.”

PREDICTIONS/CLOSING THOUGHTS: Nothing is set stone and everything seems in flux at the position. That has led to speculation that the 2023 New York Giants will use a committee approach at wide receiver with new starters and/or adjusted playing time on a week-by-week basis. That’s certainly possible. The coaching staff has proven to be flexible and able to adjust on the fly. Players returning from injury or getting injured can certainly change the situation as well. However, cream tends to rise to the top and there are opportunities for players to lock down starting jobs.

I am going to take John Schmeelk’s lead and break down the position into the following three baskets:

  • Receivers with size: Isaiah Hodgins, Collin Johnson, David Sills, Makai Polk, Bryce Ford-Wheaton
  • Outside receivers with speed: Darius Slayton, Jalin Hyatt, Jeff Smith
  • Slot receivers: Parris Campbell, Wan’Dale Robinson, Sterling Shepard, Jamison Crowder, Kalil Pimpleton, Jaydon Mickens

Looking at these baskets, I would think ideally the Giants want two players from each group. That is, two receivers with size, two with outside speed, two who can play the slot. One of these six needs to have return skills on special teams. However, right now, the Giants seem to have more quality at the slot position. You could make the case for Campbell, Robinson, Shepard, and Crowder all making the team, though that seems difficult on paper.

Complicating matters a bit are questions about the ability of Campbell and Shepard to play outside, and Hyatt’s heavy usage as a slot receiver in college without facing press coverage. Really complicating matters are injury rehab questions with Wan’Dale Robinson and Sterling Shepard.

Shepard tore his ACL in September and seems closer to returning. He was running routes at or near full speed in mini-camp. While he might start training camp on the PUP, it does not look like he will be on it very long if he does. The status of Robinson is more vague. He tore his ACL in November. There was one unconfirmed report that he should be ready by training camp, but no updates during the OTAs and mini-camp. That said, Giants.com‘s Lance Meadow recently predicted him making the 53-man roster recently. Does he know something or is he just spit-balling?

Let’s look at the early signs. The starters in spring were Hodgins and Slayton outside with Campbell in the slot. Campbell seemed to be the headliner from the reports, being used in a variety of ways including out of the backfield similar to how the coaches intended to use Kadarius Toney and Wan’Dale Robinson last year. Campbell also has a lot of experience on jet sweeps/end arounds with the Buckeyes and Colts. He’s got a running backs mentality blended with legit 4.3 speed. The question with him is staying healthy.

The presence of Saquon Barkley, Darren Waller, and Parris Campbell is going to place a ton of pressure on opposing defenses in the short-to-intermediate zones, with all three also being able to easily sneak down the field for the big play. Each can also do damage after the catch. Campbell could be poised for a very big year. This offensive scheme is ideal for his skillset, being used on bubble screens, jet sweeps, getting the ball to him on quick passes over the middle in full stride, etc. What will be fascinating to watch is when Wan’Dale Robinson is fully healthy. How will the coaching staff employ him with Campbell? Probably similar to the plans they had in place with Kadarius Toney and Robinson that we never saw. (Remember the “why do the Giants have both Toney and Robinson?” debates).

The wild cards in all of this are numerous:

  • The glaring missing component is the consistent outside deep threat. With all of the underneath threats, can Darius Slayton re-capture his eight touchdown rookie season? He doesn’t have to catch 6-8 passes a game, but the team needs him to stretch the defense and not disappear for long stretches. He proved he could be that deep threat in 2019, but has been far too inconsistent since then. Which version do we get?
  • If Slayton can’t do it, can Jalin Hyatt? He has great speed and great hands. But he has to prove he can get off press coverage. And it usually takes rookie wide receivers some time to learn pro-level concepts. If Hyatt can develop quickly, this offense could be a nightmare to defend. When Hyatt is on the field, the defense has to respect his deep speed, opening things up underneath for Waller, Barkley, Campbell, Bellinger, and company.
  • What is the true upside of Isaiah Hodgins? Is he as good as he looked late in the 2022 season, meaning that the Bills made a huge mistake in cutting him? If he can develop into a reliable, consistent security blanket for Daniel Jones, that would be a huge asset. Keep in mind, he scored five touchdowns in nine games for the Giants.
  • Collin Johnson was making noise in training camp last year before he got hurt. He’s also saw a lot of action this spring in non-contact drills. He is not a speedster, but he is intriguing because of his 6’6”, 220-pound frame. Preseason flash-in-the-pan or a legitimate roster contender?
  • Sterling Shepard is the kind of guy you love to root for. However, he simply has not been able to stay healthy. Shepard has missed significant time in five of his seven NFL seasons and has played in just 10 games the past two years. Every preseason we hope for breakout season and every year he gets hurt. But can you completely count him out? I wouldn’t.
  • Jamison Crowder. Full disclosure, I live in the DC area so I saw a lot of Crowder when he played in Washington. He’s always impressed me. Quarterback issues with the Jets and a broken ankle with the Bills in 2022 limited his productivity, but we’re talking about a 30-year old with 4,667 yards and 28 touchdowns. It shows you how much the talent level has improved at the position that he’s on the fringe on this roster. He also has experience as a returner. Crowder and Shepard may be vying against each other for the final roster spot and the return ability helps his cause.

If I had to go out on a limb, I say by the end of the year, Hodgins, Campbell, and Hyatt are the core group with Robinson being the jack-of-all trades/gadget player. Not impressed? Just keep in mind the presence of Waller and Bellinger at tight end.

FINAL DEPTH CHART: Isaiah Hodgins, Parris Campbell, Jalin Hyatt, Darius Slayton, Collin Johnson, and Jamison Crowder.

Wan’Dale Robinson to start the year on the PUP for four weeks.

The toughest call is on Shepard, an extremely popular player. The issues here are three-fold: (1) injury-proneness, (2) lack of special teams value, and (3) how much playing time would he receive? He would have to push Hodgins outside or Campbell inside for playing time. It is possible the team keeps seven wideouts again, however.

Look for 3-4 wide receivers to be on the Practice Squad again. I would think Jeff Smith and Bryce Ford-Wheaton are two obvious choices.

Sterling Shepard Returns to Practice; Eight More Roster Moves

 Posted by
Aug 242022
 
Sterling Shepard, New York Giants (October 24, 2021)

Sterling Shepard – © USA TODAY Sports

NEW YORK GIANTS MAKE EIGHT ROSTER MOVES…
The New York Giants have claimed the following three players off of waivers:

  • WR Bailey Gaither (from the Baltimore Ravens)
  • WR Jaylon Moore (from the Baltimore Ravens)
  • CB Harrison Hand (from the Minnesota Vikings)

To make room for these three, the Giants terminated the contract of tight end Jordan Akins and placed wide receivers Collin Johnson (torn Achilles) and Marcus Kemp (hamstring) on Injured Reserve. Johnson tore his right Achilles’ tendon in practice today. He has been impressing in camp and was receiving snaps with the first-team offense.

The Giants also terminated the contract of wide receiver Robert Foster with an injury settlement. Foster was placed on Injured Reserve with a hamstring injury last Friday.

Although not officially announced, TheAthletic is also reporting that the Giants have signed tight end Tanner Hudson, who was waived by the San Fransisco 49ers yesterday.

The 25-year old, 6’0”, 188-pound Gaither was originally signed as an undrafted rookie free agent by the Green Bay Packers after the 2021 NFL Draft.  He has spent time with the Packers (2021), Pittsburgh Maulers (2022), and Ravens (2022). He has not played in a regular-season NFL game.

The 25-year old, 5’11’, 191-pound Moore was originally signed as an undrafted rookie free agent by the Ravens after the 2020 NFL Draft. He spent the 2020 and 2021 seasons on Baltimore’s Practice Squad. He has not played in a regular-season NFL game.

The 23-year old, 5’11’, 197-pound Hand was originally drafted in the 5th round of the 2020 NFL Draft by the Vikings. In two seasons with Minnesota, Hand played in 23 regular-season games with one start, accruing 22 tackles, three pass defenses, and one interception.

The 27-year old, 6’5”, 239-pound Hudson was originally signed as an undrafted rookie free agent by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after the 2018 NFL Draft. He spent two seasons with the Buccaneers before being cut in August 2021. He was then signed by the San Francisco 49ers in September 2021 and spent most of the season on their Practice Squad. The 49ers waived him in late August 2022. Hudson has played in 22 regular-season games with one start. He has five career receptions for 67 yards.

The Giants signed Akins in April 2022 as an unrestricted free agent from the Houston Texans. The 6’4”, 243-pound Akins was originally drafted in the 3rd round of the 2018 NFL Draft. 

The Giants claimed Johnson off of waivers from the Jacksonville Jaguars in early September 2021. He ended up playing in 12 games for the Giants, with one start, and finished the season with 11 catches for 105 yards and no touchdowns. The 6’6”, 222-pound Johnson was originally drafted in the 5th-round of the 2020 NFL Draft by the Jaguars. As a rookie for Jacksonville, he played in 14 NFL games with no starts, catching 18 passes for 272 yards and two touchdowns.

The Giants sign Kemp as an unrestricted free agent from the Kansas City Chiefs in late July 2022. The 6’4”, 210-pound Kemp was originally signed as an undrafted rookie free agent by the Chiefs after the 2017 NFL Draft. Other than a brief stint with the Miami Dolphins late in 2020, Kemp was with the Chiefs from 2017 until 2021. Kemp missed the 2019 season with a torn ACL and MCL knee injury. Overall, he has played in 44 regular-season games, primarily on special teams. Kemp only four career catches for 42 yards.

The Giants signed Foster as a street free agent in March 2022 after being waived by the Dallas Cowboys. The 6’2”, 196-pound Foster was originally signed as an undrafted rookie free agent by the Buffalo Bills after the 2018 NFL Draft. He has spent time with the Bills (2018-2020), Green Bay Packers (2020), Washington Football Team (2020), Miami Dolphins (2021), and Cowboys (2021-2022).

AUGUST 24, 2022 NEW YORK GIANTS INJURY REPORT – STERLING SHEPARD RETURNS…
LG Shane Lemieux (foot), OL Garrett McGhin (unknown), OLB Kayvon Thibodeaux (knee), LB Jihad Ward (unknown), LB Elerson Smith (ankle/foot), CB Rodarius Williams (unknown), S Dane Belton (broken left collarbone), and PK Graham Gano (concussion) did not practice.

When asked about Gano, Head Coach Brian Daboll replied, “He’s making progress. We still could (sign another kicker for this week), but if he’s ready to go toward the end of the week, we probably won’t, obviously.”

WR Kadarius Toney (hamstring?) was limited to individual drills. WR C.J. Board (ribs) also was limited.

WR Collin Johnson tore his right Achilles’ tendon in practice. His season is over. RB Matt Breida (heat?) left with trainers halfway through practice.

WR Sterling Shepard (Achilles) passed his team physical and was activated off of the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) List. He practiced for the first time since suffering his injury last season. “We’ll kind of ramp him up,” said Daboll before practice. “We’ll ramp him up just like we did when the other guys come back. But he’s done a good job in his rehab, and it’ll be good to have him out there.”

HEAD COACH BRIAN DABOLL…
The transcript of Brian Daboll’s press conference on Wednesday is available in The Corner Forum while the video is available on YouTube.

THE PLAYERS SPEAK…
Transcripts and video clips of the media sessions with the following players are available in The Corner Forum and on YouTube:

WHAT’S UP NEXT…
The Giants will hold a joint practice with the New York Jets on Thursday from 11:30AM to 1:30PM. Head Coach Brian Daboll and select players will also address the media.

August 15, 2022 New York Giants Training Camp Report

 Posted by
Aug 152022
 
Tyrod Taylor, New York Giants (August 11, 2022)

Tyrod Taylor – © USA TODAY Sports

AUGUST 15, 2022 NEW YORK GIANTS TRAINING CAMP REPORT… (by Sy’56)
Another beautiful weather day. Sunny but not too hot. The dryness we have seen in the NE this summer is not good for my lawn, but it is beneficial for the practice operation to be outside this often. The mere difference in space provides the option for all the position groups to work with plenty of room.

Anyway, the roster cut downs are coming up soon. NYG will be letting go of just a couple guys tomorrow and another 5 next week. Because of that, I am trying to put a little more focus on the backups and roster battles. I’m not sure if this discussed often here, as most of my time away from camp and reports revolves around the college scouting work that I am about to dive in on. But there will be a few very hard decisions made when the roster cuts go down. Not necessarily because there is an abundance of talent (however there are some deep spots on defense). There are players from the previous regime who are respectable assets but simply do not fit into the new scheme and/or they were not brought in by the new regime. That will be the primary focus of today’s report, although I will still give some feedback on the starters (what’s left of them) at the bottom of each side of the ball. Hint, the defense won.

DEFENSE

-The guy I am going to go out on a limb for is Ryder Anderson. The defensive end from Indiana has been mentioned in my camp reports a few times. I have really focused in on him the past 2 days and it looks like the coaches are too. He is drawing a lot of praise from the staff via special teams and the skill set he brings to the table gives them options along the DL. He plays heavy handed with good bend on a very long frame. Putting him on the Practice Squad (PS) is a risky proposition, as every team has a clear shot at him from there. I am leaning toward him getting a spot and seeing a surprise veteran cut (Jalyn Holmes? Nick Williams?).

-Khalil Dorsey is impressive from the slot. He plays ultra-sticky and has a power presence to him that gives him nickel-potential behind Holmes.

-Outside corners Darren Evans and Zyon Gilbert both made nice plays on the ball in team drills. Their length and catch-up speed show. Both are getting beat on vertical routes as they are too late to find the ball, if at all. I assume that is a major no-no in the Martindale scheme.

-With Carter Coughlin back, this is an incredibly tough ILB group to figure out. Martinez and Crowder are the ones and Beavers is quietly creeping through Crowder’s shadow. Another solid run stuff by the rookie that resulted in a TFL where he torched Max Garcia. Micah McFadden continues to do all the little things right and gets to the ball on nearly every play. Cam Brown is the top special teamer on the squad and Austin Calitro is right behind but has shown more at ILB defensively. Do all these guys make the team? That is a lot of inside linebackers in a scheme and era where nickel + dime packages are taking over.

-Justin Ellis and rookie D.J. Davidson appear to be the backup NTs. Some schemes only carry one backup, but I think this scheme will carry two. David Moa and rookie Christopher Hinton continued to struggle to penetrate. Their lateral range isn’t there either.

-The OLB group is another tough one to figure out. With Azeez Ojulari back and Kayvon Thibodeaux an unquestioned starter, the battle between Oshane Ximines, Elerson Smith (injured, however), and Quincy Roche will likely only produce two out of the fire (unless Smith’s injury lands him on IR). I think it would come down to the latter two. Roche had another strong day today and I think his run defense is becoming noticeably better. More stout, better hand work, and more precise with his positioning. The point I am getting at? Ximines may have a really hard time making this team. He doesn’t win enough 1-on-1’s as a pass rusher and he got sealed off on an outside run (one of NYG’s top gains of the day).

-I don’t have a very strong feel at S partially because Dane Belton has been out for nearly all of camp. Trenton Thompson has popped a few times, but Yusuf Corker seems to do more for the defense.

-When it comes to the starters, I stood there today thinking this group has the strong likelihood of being a very formidable defense. Take away the fact they are up against a struggling offense. There is proven talent at every level. They have a new scheme that the opposition will not have tape on, making it a bit tougher to plan against. And they have potential superstars (top 5 at their position in league) at multiple spots in the middle in Leonard Williams and Xavier McKinney. They are fast, physical, and show excellent anticipation. Darnay Holmes and Julian Love both made spectacular reads on short balls. Holmes turned his into an INT. Thibodeaux looks like he is getting through the pass protection more often than not. Ojulari was back out there with the 1’s in live action and beat Neal on a couple of running plays for what would have been TFL. If this side of the ball stays healthy and considering their schedule, games will be kept close. No question.

OFFENSE

-The OL is very banged up. Matt Peart, Shane Lemieux, Jon Feliciano, Jamil Douglas, Joshua Ezeudu were all out. Don’t forget about Nick Gates, too. I’ll discuss the starting group in a moment, as I want to keep focus on roster hopefuls. If all of those guys above come back relatively soon (minus Gates, and Peart looks close), there may not be many spots even open. But the one I have been impressed by the most is Devery Hamilton. He has played both LT and LG, but I think his best spot is inside. He stays on his man, he shows proper hip extension and footwork, and he looks athletic enough to handle late lateral looks by the defense. Will Holden is the other one I would feel safest with out there. Garrett McGhinn and Roy Mbaeteka look over-matched when it comes to speed and change of direction.

-Will NYG carry a fullback? They have one option right now and that is Jeremiah Hall. It is always possible someone shakes free from another roster, but BUF always used a fullback under Daboll. Hall got looks with the 1’s today and they do not use any of their TEs in the backfield.

-The TE group is still a spot I see the team needing to bring in outside help. Nobody knows the deal with Ricky Seals-Jones, but I am assuming he is just out of the picture for now. Daniel Bellinger and Chris Myarick seem to get the most looks with the ones and it is more of the same. Myarick does not have an upside, but he is gritty enough to get by. I think he is more of a #3 though. Bellinger is easy to like. I spent time watching the group run routes both against air and linebackers/safeties. The rookie is the smoothest mover in and out of his breaks and shows the softest hands. I don’t see Austin Allen being a 53-man guy though. Gotta love the height but his pad level is so up and down as a route runner. He has a hard time accelerating and changing direction, but he does have some stride speed. Certainly, someone you want to try and work with on the PS.

-The receiver group is a back-and-forth battle each day. Collin Johnson has separated himself. He made a great play on a ball from Jones in the team portion of practice, likely their top pass gain of the day. Richie James is all over the field and offers some in the return game. But as I have said, does he get bumped the second Shepard comes back? Jones seems to like to throwing to him and he does play a sudden game as a route runner. The radius isn’t there though and he continues to get thrown off his point in traffic. Size is really important for a receiver, and he is bottom tier there. NYG already has a guy like that in Robinson. One name I am interested to see how they handle is Marcus Kemp. NYG gets a bunch of passes downfield throughout each practice and he is the one that seems to come down with the acrobatic catches the most often. Robert Foster and Keelan Doss could not do it today.

-Lastly, the RB group is likely to carry four guys and it easy to figure out. Saquon Barkley-Matt Breida (still not practicing)-Antonio Williams-Gary Brightwell (out today). Jashaun Corbin is impressive and I do think he could beat out Brightwell, just not right away.

-As for the starting offense, my biggest positive was Ben Bredeson. He simply looks more efficient at center than he does at guard. I would love to hear him speak on that. He was making all of the calls and made a couple of key blocks on what appeared to be large chunk gains in the running game. Both Barkley and Williams had big runs.

-Daniel Jones and the passing game were better at being timely today. Jones had a few quick strike throws to Wan’Dale Robinson that I liked. It is bizarre to me how many times he tucks and runs the ball. That could be by the direction of Mike Kafka and Brian Daboll, however. And analytics do say the most efficient play in football is the QB non-designed run. Probably not the most ideal when it comes to keeping the QB on the field, though.

-Jones misfired on a short pass to Robinson (I think) and it got tipped up in the air for a Holmes INT.

-Tyrod Taylor had another off-day as well. He threw an INT where he simply lofted a ball with too much air underneath it. He also misfired on a ball where he didn’t set his feet and faded back as he released it. He air mailed it over the 6’8” tight end Allen – a hard guy to overthrow on a dump off pass.

-I’m not sure of the defense dialed it back a notch with the complex looks, but it did seem the NYG offense had more space to work with. Andrew Thomas looks rock solid, and Mark Glowinski looks like Mr. Reliable. Evan Neal was flagged for a false start and had a couple of ugly plays. He walked off the field very frustrated a couple of times. The speed of the game is too much for a guy in space to struggle with footwork and balance. Still have a ways to go there.

SUMMARY

That is it for me this week. I am making plans to get to the joint practice next week with NYJ. The overall feel of this team is bizarre when looking at how many guys are not practicing. I track the NFL Depth Charts for Ourlads via practice reports and I can’t think of a team with this many 1st/2nd stringers on the sideline. I don’t say that to create a narrative, it is simply an observation. I also don’t think it is doomsday. It appears most will be just fine by September and if anything, it leads me to the notion this roster is actually pretty deep. We will see how well some of these guys actually play, but as I opened with, creating the 53-man roster is actually going to force some really hard decisions especially if they bring in a guy or two from another team when they make their own cuts.

ANDRE PATTERSON RETURNS TO THE TEAM…
New York Giants Defensive Line Coach Andre Patterson, who has been on a leave of absence since camp started with an undisclosed medical issue, returned to the team on Monday. “Patterson’s back today,” said Head Coach Brian Daboll. “Probably won’t be on the field but was in the building. So, it’s good to have him back.”

INJURY REPORT…
WR Sterling Shepard (Achilles), OC Nick Gates (leg), and OT Matt Peart (knee) remain on the Active/Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) List.

RB Matt Breida (unknown), RB Gary Brightwell (unknown), WR Kadarius Toney (knee/leg), WR Austin Proehl (leg/calf), TE Andre Miller (broken right forearm), TE Ricky Seals-Jones (unknown), OC Jon Feliciano (right arm), LG Shane Lemieux (foot), OL Joshua Ezeudu (unknown), OL Jamil Douglas (ankle), LB Blake Martinez (returning from ACL), LB Jihad Ward (unknown), LB Elerson Smith (lower right leg), LB Cam Brown (unknown), CB Cor’Dale Flott (groin), CB Rodarius Williams (unknown), and S Dane Belton (broken left collarbone) did not practice.

When Head Coach Brian Daboll was asked about three players injured in practice yesterday (Feliciano, Smith, and Ward), he responded, “They’ll be okay. They probably won’t go today, but they’ll be alright… We should be alright with those guys.”

WR Darius Slayton (unknown), WR David Sills (unknown), DL Leonard Williams (unknown), DL Justin Ellis (unknown), and CB Adoree’ Jackson (unknown) were limited in practice.

HEAD COACH BRIAN DABOLL…
The transcript of Brian Daboll’s press conference on Monday is available in The Corner Forum while the video is available on YouTube.

THE PLAYERS SPEAK…
Transcripts and video clips of the media sessions with the following players are available in The Corner Forum and at Giants.com:

WHAT’S UP NEXT…
The team practices again on Tuesday morning (10:00AM-noon). Head Coach Brian Daboll and select players will also address the media.

Atlanta Falcons 17 – New York Giants 14

 Posted by
Sep 262021
 
Eli Manning, New York Giants (September 26, 2021)

Eli Manning – © USA TODAY Sports

ATLANTA FALCONS 17 – NEW YORK GIANTS 14…
The Atlanta Falcons defeated the New York Giants 17-14 on Sunday afternoon at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Atlanta secured the game on a 40-yard field goal as time expired. The Giants are now 0-3 on the season, and have lost two games in a row on a walk-off, game-winning field goal by the opponent.

At halftime, former Giants’ quarterback Eli Manning had his #10 jersey retired and was inducted into the team’s “Ring of Honor.”

The Giants out-gained the Falcons in first downs (21 to 18), total net yards (346 to 296), net yards rushing (100 to 69), net yards passing (246 to 227), and time of possession (31:51 to 28:09). The turnover battle was tied with each team losing a fumble that did not lead to points. The Giants were flagged eight times for 53 yards in penalties, however.

The Giants’ defense played well for most of the contest except for the now predictable late collapses at the end of the first half and at the end of the game. The Falcons had six possessions in the first half, with the first four resulting in a total of four first downs and four punts. However, their fifth drive started with 2:09 left in the first half, and the Falcons were able to drive 44 yards in six plays and 36 seconds to score a go-ahead touchdown. The Falcons got the ball one more time before intermission after a turnover, but the Giants defense forced a turnover of its own when linebacker Azeez Ojulari sacked the quarterback and forced a fumble that linebacker Lorenzo Carter recovered.

Not counting the kneel down at the end of the first half, the Giants had five first-half possessions of their own. Two were very long drives. The Giants’ first possession of the game picked up 73 yards on 11 plays; the Giants’ third possession gained 73 yards on 15 plays. The problem was New York settled for two short field goals with both possessions stalling inside the red zone. This gave the Giants a 6-0 lead that they held until the Falcons scored a touchdown late in the half. Then tight end Evan Engram fumbled the ball away at the New York 38-yard line after a 13-yard catch late in the half.

At the break, the Falcons led 7-6.

Neither team scored in the 3rd quarter with both teams punting twice. However, late in this quarter, the Giants did begin a 10-play, 71-yard drive that ended with a go-ahead touchdown by running back Saquon Barkley from one yard out. Quarterback Daniel Jones then ran for a score on the 2-point conversion and the Giants were up 14-7 with just under 13 minutes to play in the game.

Unfortunately, the New York defense could not hold the lead and immediately gave up a 15-play, 72-yard drive to the Falcons that resulted in a 1-yard touchdown pass to tie the game at 14-14 with just over four minutes to play.

With the game on the line, the New York offense picked up two first downs, but stalled at mid-field when Jones was sacked for nine yards on 2nd-and-10. With less than two minutes to play, the Giants punted the ball back to Atlanta.

The result was predictable. Starting at their own 20-yard line, Atlanta easily drove into field goal range with pass completions of 28 and 25 yards on two of their first three plays. The Falcons gained three more yards before kicking the game-winning, 40-yard field goal with no time left on the clock.

Jones completed 24-of-35 passes for 266 yards, with no touchdowns or interceptions. He also ran the ball eight times for 39 yards and was sacked twice. His leading receiver was Barkley, who caught six passes for 43 yards. Wide receiver Collin Johnson caught five passes for 51 yards and wide receiver Kenny Golladay caught four passes for 64 yards. Barkley carried the ball 16 times for just 51 yards and a touchdown.

Defensively, the Falcons were held to 296 total yards and 69 yards rushing. Defensive linemen Austin Johnson and Leonard Williams each had sacks in addition to Ojulari, who forced the fumble that Carter recovered.

Video highlights are available at Giants.com.

Video of quarterback Eli Manning’s #10 jersey retirement and “Ring of Honor” induction at halftime is also available at Giants.com.

ROSTER MOVES, INACTIVES, AND INJURY REPORT…
On Saturday, the Giants signed WR C.J. Board and OC Jonotthan Harrison to the 53-man roster from the Practice Squad. The team also placed LB Cam Brown (hamstring) on Injured Reserve.

Inactive for the game were RB Devontae Booker, LB Justin Hilliard, CB Sam Beal, CB Josh Jackson, and Nate Ebner (quad).

LB Blake Martinez (knee), WR Sterling Shepard (hamstring), and WR Darius Slayton (hamstring) all left the game in the first half with injuries and did not return.

POST-GAME REACTION…
Transcripts and video clips of post-game media sessions with Head Coach Joe Judge and the following players are available in The Corner Forum and at Giants.com:

WHAT’S UP NEXT…
Head Coach Joe Judge and select players will address the media by conference call on Monday.

Giants Claim Three Players Off Waivers; Place Two On Injured Reserve

 Posted by
Sep 012021
 
Quincy Roche, Pittsburgh Steelers (August 21, 2021)

Quincy Roche – © USA TODAY Sports

GIANTS CLAIM THREE PLAYERS OFF OF WAIVERS, CUT THREE…
The New York Giants have claimed the following players off of waivers:

  • WR Collin Johnson (from Jacksonville Jaguars)
  • LB Justin Hilliard (from San Francisco 49ers)
  • LB Quincy Roche (from Pittsburgh Steelers)

The 23-year old, 6’6”, 222-pound Johnson was originally drafted in the 5th-round of the 2020 NFL Draft by the Jaguars. As a rookie, he played in 14 NFL games with no starts, catching 18 passes for 272 yards and two touchdowns.

The 24-year old, 6’1”, 231-pound Hilliard was originally signed as an undrafted rookie free agent by the 49ers after the 2021 NFL Draft.

The 23-year old, 6’3”, 245-pound Roche was originally drafted in the 6th round of the 2021 NFL Draft by the Steelers.

To make room for these three players, the Giants cut wide receivers C.J. Board (contract terminated) and Dante Pettis (waived) as well as linebacker Trent Harris (waived). Board was re-signed a few hours later when the Giants placed two players on Injured Reserve.

GIANTS PLACE ELERSON SMITH AND JOHN ROSS ON INJURED RESERVE…
The New York Giants have placed linebacker Elerson Smith and wide receiver John Ross on short-term Injured Reserve. Both are eligible to return to the 53-man roster after the first three games of the 2021 regular season.

With these roster vacancies, the Giants re-signed wide receiver C.J. Board, who was cut hours earlier in the day, and long snapper Casey Kreiter, who was cut yesterday.

GIANTS SIGN 14 PLAYERS TO THE PRACTICE SQUAD…
The New York Giants have signed the following players to the team’s 16-man Practice Squad:

  • RB Sandro Platzgummer
  • WR David Sills
  • WR Damion Willis
  • WR Matt Cole
  • TE Nakia Griffin-Stewart
  • TE Jake Hausmann
  • OC Brett Heggie
  • OG Kenny Wiggins
  • OG Jake Burton
  • OT Jackson Barton
  • DL David Moa
  • DL Willie Henry
  • LB Niko Lalos
  • S Jordyn Peters

All 14 players were with the team during training camp.

Platzgummer will spend a second season on the Practice Squad as part of the NFL’s International Player Pathway Program. Platzgummer does not count against the 16.

Three spots remain open on the Practice Squad.

MICHAEL STRAHAN TO HAVE HIS JERSEY NUMBER RETIRED ON NOVEMBER 28…
The New York Giants will retire former defensive end Michael Strahan’s #92 jersey during the November 28 game at MetLife Stadium against the Philadelphia Eagles. Strahan played for the Giants from 1993 to 2007. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2014.

Currently, 12 Giants have their jersey numbers retired by the Giants. Former quarterback Eli Manning will also have his jersey number (#10) retired during the September 26 game against the Atlanta Falcons at MetLife Stadium.

HEAD COACH JOE JUDGE…
The transcript of Joe Judge’s press conference on Wednesday is available in The Corner Forum while the video is available at Giants.com.

THE PLAYERS SPEAK…
Transcripts and video clips of the media sessions with the following players are available in The Corner Forum and at Giants.com:

WHAT’S UP NEXT…
The Giants practice again on Wednesday afternoon (12:30-2:30 PM). The team’s coordinators and assistant coaches will also address the media, as well as select players.