Giants Waive Ereck Flowers
The Giants have waived tackle Ereck Flowers, according to an announcement from the team. The Giants were looking to trade the former first-round pick by the end of the business day on Tuesday, but they were unable to find a taker. 
Because Flowers is not a vested veteran, he’ll hit the waiver wire, giving the league’s 31 other teams a chance to claim him. Clubs such as the Raiders, Falcons, 49ers, and others with high waiver priority will have an early crack at claiming Flowers, but that’s unlikely given his salary. In all probability, Flowers will go unclaimed, allowing him to sign as a free agent later this week.
Flowers, a 6’6″, 329-pound tackle, was taken with the No. 9 overall pick in the 2015 draft. The Giants were hardly alone in their strong evaluation of the Miami product, but things never panned out for him at the pro level. This year, the Giants brought in left tackle Nate Solder and shifted Flowers to the right side, but the results were pretty much the same. Flowers was demoted in favor of Chad Wheeler this year, and he played just 12 special teams snaps in those three games off of the bench.
Giants Still Looking To Trade Ereck Flowers
[UPDATE: The Giants waived Flowers on Tuesday morning.]
The Giants haven’t lined up a deal yet, but they’re still hoping to complete a trade for tackle Ereck Flowers by 4pm ET/3pm CT on Tuesday, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. If they can’t find a suitable deal, Flowers’ agent Drew Rosenhaus expects multiple teams to be interested in his client once he’s released. In that instance, he believes Flowers would have a new home by the end of the week. 
Flowers, a former first-round pick, is in the final year of his rookie contract, and it’s hard to imagine another club giving up something of value and taking on his salary. Still, the Giants are working hard to make it happen, and they may be willing to offset the expense by including cash in the deal.
The Giants have already earmarked practice squad lineman Brian Mihalik as the replacement for Flowers, allowing them to use a tackle who is already familiar with their blocking schemes on a short week. The 1-4 Giants will look to get back on the right track when they face the Eagles on Thursday night at the Meadowlands.
Giants Promote OT Brian Mihalik
The Giants will promote tackle Brian Mihalik from the practice squad to replace Ereck Flowers, according to Dan Duggan of The Athletic (on Twitter). Flowers is set to be released on Tuesday afternoon if the team cannot find a suitable trade, so the Giants need another body to help out at tackle.
It’s still possible that the Giants will survey the free agent market – or even the trade market – for help at tackle, but they opted against bringing in outside help on a short week. Mihalik will be in the club’s rotation behind starters Nate Solder and Chad Wheeler when the G-Men face the Eagles on Thursday night.
Mihalik made two starts last season for the Lions but was dropped from the roster on Labor Day weekend. At 6’9″ and 315 pounds, the former defensive end certainly has the size for the tackle position.
Jamaal Charles To Work Out For Jaguars
The Jaguars are in need of help at running back, and they’re considering two former Chiefs for support. Jamaal Charles and Charcandrick West will work out for the team on Tuesday, according to Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero of NFL.com (on Twitter). 
Starter Leonard Fournette has missed multiple games this year with a nagging hamstring issue and no one knows when he’ll be able to return. Meanwhile, backup running back Corey Grant has been ruled out for the year with a Lisfranc injury.
Charles made it through the 2017 campaign healthy — which was an accomplishment in and of itself — but aside from that, it was not an especially memorable season for the 31-year-old. The two-time All-Pro, who was one of the most exciting players in the league before being plagued by extensive knee trouble, racked up just 69 carries for the Broncos last year, and while he led all Denver ball-carriers with a 4.3 YPC average, he was a healthy scratch to close out the year and was frustrated with his lack of playing time. He was linked to the Redskins in August, but we haven’t heard his name mentioned in recent weeks.
The Chiefs released West earlier this year, and although he subsequently latched on with the Jets, he lasted less than a month in New York before getting cut again. The 27-year-old’s most productive campaign came in 2015, when he managed 160 carries for 634 yards and four touchdowns, but his rushing role with Kansas City had been greatly reduced in recent seasons. While he played more than 500 offensive snaps from 2016-17, West handled only 106 total carries, including just 18 last year. West worked out for the Bucs earlier this month, but left Tampa without a deal.
Jets Release S J.J. Wilcox
The Jets have released safety J.J. Wilcox, per a team announcement. The move will make room for the return of cornerback Rashard Robinson, who has been activated after serving his suspension.
Wilcox and the 49ers were on the one-yard line of talks this past summer before the safety bailed to ink a one-year, $1.25MM deal with the Jets. Wilcox was drawn to the Jets because of Todd Bowles and the opportunity provided by Rontez Miles‘ torn meniscus, but he didn’t do a whole lot for Gang Green during his five-week stay. After totaling just three tackles, Wilcox is being placed back on the curb.
The six-year veteran played his best football with the Cowboys after they selected him in the third-round of the 2013 draft. After four years in Dallas, he signed a free agent deal with the Bucs in 2017, but he was shipped to the Steelers before he could ever wear red and pewter in live action.
Robinson served a four-game suspension to start the season and practiced with the Jets last week on a roster exemption. The cornerback appeared in six games for the Jets last year after coming over in an October trade with the Niners.
Ravens Claim CB Cyrus Jones
The Ravens claimed cornerback Cyrus Jones off waivers from the Patriots, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. 
Jones, 25 in November, was a second-round pick of the Pats in 2016. He saw time on special teams as a kick and punt returner as a rookie, but a torn ACL and partially torn meniscus cost him the 2017 season. This summer, he missed the Patriots’ final cut, wound up on the Ravens’ practice squad, then was signed by the Patriots on Sept. 19. Two weeks later, he’s back with the Ravens, and this time around he’s on the 53-man roster.
The Ravens have Jimmy Smith back on the roster to join top cornerbacks Brandon Carr and Marlon Humphrey, but Anthony Averett has missed three straight games with a hamstring issue. Jones figures to take his place on the depth chart and is probably in line for similar usage on defense. In his two games this year, Averett saw just 18 total snaps, and that was before Smith’s return.
The Patriots brought Jones back primarily for special teams reasons, but Julian Edelman handled two punts in his first game back from suspension on Thursday. With Edelman taking over on punt returns, the Patriots saw little reason to keep Clamp Clampington on the team.
To take Jones’ place on the roster, the Patriots have re-signed running back Kenjon Barner. Barner returned 27 punts in 2017 and averaged 8.9 yards per attempt, so he could find a role on special teams.
Giants To Release Or Trade Ereck Flowers
The Ereck Flowers saga is nearing its end. The Giants will release the tackle if he is not traded by 4pm ET/3pm CT on Tuesday, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. 
The Giants benched Flowers before their Week 3 game against the Texans, bringing an end to his three-plus years as a starter.
The Giants, under both the former regime and the current one, have considered parting ways with Flowers for some time. They moved Flowers off of the left tackle spot this year by signing Nate Solder in free agency, but gave him an opportunity to redeem himself on the right side. Unfortunately, the results have been roughly the same, and the 2015 first-round pick’s time in New York is finally through.
Several teams were giving thought to using a top 32 pick on Flowers in 2015, but it’s unlikely that there’s much of a trade market for him today. There are plenty of teams who are desperate for offensive line help, but it’s hard to see a team giving up something of value and assuming the prorated portion of Flowers’ $2.397MM base salary.
Despite some serious buzz that led to him being taken No. 9 overall in the draft, the Miami product has yet to do much at the pro level. Last year was his best season to date and he graded out as just the No. 54 tackle in the NFL out of 81 qualifiers, per Pro Football Focus.
The Giants have elevated second-year UDFA offensive tackle Chad Wheeler to the starting lineup in Flowers’ stead, but he is questionable for Thursday night’s game against the Eagles after suffering a hand injury. The Giants have decided to dump Flowers three days before facing a divisional rival on national television even though they might be without their projected starter, and that speaks volumes for where the former first-round pick is in his career.
Packers Likely To Keep Mason Crosby
Mason Crosby‘s five misses cost the Packers a win on Sunday, but it doesn’t sound like they’ll be making a kicking change. On Monday, head coach Mike McCarthy indicated that the club isn’t exploring outside options to replace the 34-year-old. 
[RELATED: Chargers Won’t Make Kicker Change]
“He’s got to make those kicks. He’s a proven highly successful kicker, and I believe in him but he’s got to make those kicks. It’s a different game at halftime (if he makes those three first-half) kicks,” McCarthy said (Twitter link via ESPN.com’s Rob Demovsky).
Crosby missed four of five field goal attempts in the Packers’ 31-23 loss to the Lions. He also missed an extra point in the second half of an uncharacteristically poor performance.
Crosby has been with the Packers since 2007 and the club has stuck by him through trying times before. In some games, it seemed like Crosby couldn’t hit the broad side of a barn, but the Packers retained him despite a league-low 63.6% conversion rate. Their faith in him was rewarded as he nailed 85% of his attempts from 2013-2017.
“I think he’s one of the greatest kickers of all time,” Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers said of Crosby. “I’ve always said he and Robbie Gould, what they do in the elements over the years is some of the finest kicking that I’ve seen in my time. Obviously he’s disappointed. I don’t think he expected this. We have a ton of faith in him. He’s done it for a long time, made some big kicks for us over the years. They’ve got to clean the operation up: snap, hold and he’s got to make them.”
Browns Unlikely To Sign Bryant, Matthews?
On Monday, the Browns learned that wide receiver Rashard Higgins will miss 2-4 weeks of action with a sprained MCL. Rishard Matthews will work out for the team today and could theoretically help to fill the void, but coach Hue Jackson says the Browns are inclined to stick with their current options. 
“We’ll see. I mean, I haven’t seen [GM] John [Dorsey] since I was down there earlier. But we’ll see how it unfolds. We have some good candidates here, and I like our guys that are here. So we’ll just see how it all unfolds as we go through the day,” Jackson said. “I feel like [backup receivers Rod Streater, Derrick Willies, and sixth-round rookie Damion Ratley] know our system, know exactly what we’re looking for and know how to come in and practice the way we do and understand what the opportunity would be for them, not that I wouldn’t like somebody else who could really play. But it’s just hard to find those kind of guys at this time, guys that can come in and really contribute right away just ’cause they haven’t practiced with you, don’t know the system. Guys that you have to get caught up to speed, sometimes it just doesn’t work out as well.”
Free agent receiver Dez Bryant, who was in talks with the Browns earlier this year, may face longer odds of joining the club. When asked about the ex-Cowboys star, Jackson said that he hasn’t discussed the possibility with Dorsey recently.
The Browns thinned out their receiver corps in September by trading Josh Gordon to the Patriots, but Jarvis Landry, Antonio Callaway, and Higgins have been keeping the passing offense afloat. Even without Higgins, it sounds like the Browns are comfortable with the players they already have.
Broncos Release P Marquette King
The Broncos formally released Marquette King, the punter tells Jim Trotter of NFL.com (on Twitter). This was the expected move after the club placed King on IR last week.
King, one of the most well-known punters in NFL history, has opted against having surgery for his abductor injury. Instead, he’ll rest and rehabilitate his injury over the next three months, a plan that will still rule out playing in 2018.
King wound up with the Broncos in April after the rival Raiders released him. The 29-year-old could have earned up to $7MM in incentives over the course of his three-year deal, but he’ll leave Denver with something closer to $1.5MM after his early exit.
King’s 20 punts traveled an average of 44.1 yards this season, which ranks 22nd in the NFL. However, he managed to place seven punts inside the 20-yard line, placing him just outside of the top 10. Head coach Vance Joseph was critical of his lackluster performance against the Chiefs, but the injury was likely to blame.
Without King, the Broncos are moving forward with Colby Wadman as their punter.