Giants Planning To Keep Joe Judge In 2022?
Neither Ben McAdoo nor Pat Shurmur received a third season as Giants head coach, but Joe Judge is trending toward returning next season. Despite the Giants tracking toward a fifth straight season with double-digit losses, Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports notes the league word is the team will bring back Judge in 2022.
Even if Judge stays, the Giants’ power structure will look different next year. GM Dave Gettleman is unlikely to return, and Judge recently axed offensive coordinator Jason Garrett. Judge was not the driver to hire Garrett, with ownership preferring the ex-Cowboys HC for the Giants’ play-calling role. Should Judge indeed be kept, his seat will certainly be hot entering next season.
A poor Giants finish could change ownership’s plans. Three games against NFC East competition remain for the Giants, though their injury situation may not cooperate in time. Although the Giants spent big this offseason by bringing in Kenny Golladay and Adoree’ Jackson — after pricey signings of James Bradberry and Blake Martinez in 2020 — they have seen key injuries alter their plans.
The Giants are bracing for a lengthy Daniel Jones absence, which could mean the third-year quarterback is done for the year. Mike Glennon suffered a concussion Sunday, and though Judge said Wednesday (via The Athletic’s Dan Duggan, on Twitter) the offseason pickup is expected to return to make another start in Week 14, recent Bills practice squad arm Jake Fromm is close to seeing action. The team has also seen Saquon Barkley miss another sizable chunk of a season and has not had the opportunity to deploy its full receiving corps too often due to various injuries.
Judge, 40 later this month, does not call plays and is 10-18 as Giants HC. New York ranks 26th offensively and has slipped to 24th on defense. The Giants were in a strange position of being close to winning a division at 6-10 last season, but they are not exactly on the playoff radar this year. The Giants gave Judge a five-year contract, which is a year longer than McAdoo’s 2016 deal. However, the team bolted from Shurmur after two seasons of a five-year deal.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 12/7/21
Today’s taxi squad moves:
Atlanta Falcons
- Signed: DB Cornell Armstrong
- Released: CB Chris Williamson, OT Rick Leonard
Carolina Panthers
- Signed: RB Jacques Patrick
- Released: WR Matt Cole
Chicago Bears
- Signed: FB Ben Mason
- Released: LB Rashad Smith
Cleveland Browns
- Signed: TE Ross Travis
Denver Broncos
- Signed: WR/KR Tyrie Cleveland
Green Bay Packers
- Promoted: QB Kurt Benkert
New York Giants
- Signed: QB Clayton Thorson
New York Jets
- Signed: K Matt Amendola, WR Tarik Black
- Released: WR Keelan Doss
Seattle Seahawks
- Released: DB Elijah Benton
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed: LS Garrison Sanborn
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 12/6/21
Today’s taxi squad moves:
Dallas Cowboys
- Released: DE Breeland Speaks
Houston Texans
- Signed: CB Cre’Von LeBlanc
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed: QB James Morgan
New York Giants
- Signed: S Natrell Jamerson
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed: WR Austin Mack, LB Curtis Robinson
- Released: WR Devin Funchess, LB Justin March
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: LB Tuzar Skipper
Minor NFL Transactions: 12/4/21
Today’s minor moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Promoted: LS Beau Brinkley, RB Tavien Feaster, LB Joe Walker, LB Tahir Whitehead, CB Jace Whittaker
- Placed on IR: S James Wiggins
Atlanta Falcons
- Activated from IR: DE Steven Means
- Promoted: RB Qadree Ollison
Baltimore Ravens
- Promoted: DB Robert Jackson, RB Nate McCrary
Carolina Panthers
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: LB Frankie Luvu
Cincinnati Bengals
- Placed on IR: WR Auden Tate
- Promoted: G Keaton Sutherland, WR Pooka Williams, RB Trayveon Williams
Denver Broncos
- Promoted: RB Damarea Crockett
- Waived: WR Tyrie Cleveland
Detroit Lions
- Promoted: LB Tavante Beckett, LB Rashod Berry, DE Bruce Hector
Houston Texans
- Activated from IR: C Justin Britt, LB Christian Kirksey
- Promoted: S Jonathan Owens, RB Jaylen Samuels, DL Chris Smith
- Waived: CB Cre’von LeBlanc
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Activated from IR: DT Jay Tufele
Las Vegas Raiders
- Promoted: TE Matt Bushman, FB Sutton Smith, WR Dillon Stoner
Los Angeles Rams
- Promoted: WR Brandon Powell, RB Mekhi Sargent
Minnesota Vikings
- Promoted: RB Jake Bargas, DB Myles Dorn, DE Kenny Willekes
- Waived: DE Eddie Yarbrough
New York Giants
- Promoted: WR Pharoh Cooper, DB Steven Parker, DB Jarren Williams
New York Jets
- Signed: K Alex Kessman
- Waived: K Matt Ammendola
- Promoted: DE Ronald Blair, TE Dan Brown, RB Austin Walter
Philadelphia Eagles
- Promoted: S Jared Mayden
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Activated from IR: DL Carlos Davis
- Promoted: OL Chaz Green
San Francisco 49ers
- Promoted: LB Tyrell Adams, WR River Cracraft, LB Justin March
Seattle Seahawks
- Promoted: RB Adrian Peterson (story)
Tennessee Titans
- Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: QB Logan Woodside
This Date In Transactions History: Giants Fire Ben McAdoo, Jerry Reese
The Giants cleaned house on this date in 2017. Not willing to wait until the offseason, the Giants fired head coach Ben McAdoo and GM Jerry Reese in one fell swoop. 
[RELATED: Giants To Fire Dave Gettleman?]
It’s not uncommon to see head coaches and GMs canned on the same day, but it’s somewhat rare to see it happen during the season. Still, the Giants were 2-10, and owner John Mara‘s mind was made up.
“This season has been incredibly disappointing for the organization and our fans, and while it would be ideal to make these kinds of decisions at the conclusion of the season, we simply felt now is the time to prepare for a fresh start,”Mara said in a statement. “I have great respect for both Jerry and Ben. Jerry has worked tirelessly for this franchise for 23 years. He has always communicated in a straight forward and honest manner.”
The Giants enjoyed great success during Reese’s tenure – including two Super Bowl championships – but became more and more reluctant to move up draft day towards the end of his run. In ’17, his final draft in New York, he failed to strengthen the Giants’ Swiss cheese offensive line even though it was one of the team’s most glaring and longstanding needs. So, after a total of 23 years with the Giants organization, he was out.
Ditto for McAdoo, once an NFL darling for his work as Aaron Rodgers‘ position coach. He joined the Giants in 2014 as Tom Coughlin‘s offensive coordinator. Two years later, he was installed as the head coach. At the time, the Giants felt that they were choosing the coach best suited to guide Manning. They also felt compelled to promote him since other clubs were ready to poach him. Year One went well enough – his Giants finished 11-5 before Rodgers & Co. sent them packing in the playoffs. Less than a year later, he was out with a combined 13-15 record.
McAdoo is now with the Cowboys as a consultant while Reese is out of the NFL. Meanwhile, history may repeat itself in New Jersey. The Giants are reportedly set to part ways with Reese’s replacement, Dave Gettleman — his aggressiveness has not yielded a better offensive line. The team also fired OC Jason Garrett recently and it’s not a certainty that second-year head coach Joe Judge will return in 2022.
Minor NFL Transactions: 12/3/21
Today’s minor moves:
Los Angeles Rams
- Placed on IR: RB Buddy Howell
New York Giants
- Placed on IR: LB Trent Harris, TE Kaden Smith
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Promoted: WR Breshad Perriman (story)
Giants Rule Out Daniel Jones For Week 13, Bracing For Extended Absence
Injuries to various skill-position players and a coordinator change already impacted Daniel Jones‘ third season, a key audition for the former top-10 pick. The Giants are now preparing for their starting quarterback to miss extensive time.
Jones has yet to receive full clearance and is out for New York’s Week 13 game in Miami. Offseason addition Mike Glennon will start against the Dolphins. But the Giants are bracing for the prospect of Jones missing several games due to the sprained neck he is battling, SNY’s Ralph Vacchiano reports.
Practicing in a limited capacity all week and took reps with the Giants’ first-stringers, Jones pushed for doctors to clear him for Week 13, Vacchiano adds. But his status going forward is uncertain.
When the Jones injury news surfaced earlier this week, he was labeled week-to-week. Joe Judge is sticking with that classification, indicating Friday the team has “no answers beyond that.” When asked if Jones’ season could end early because of this neck issue, Judge said the situation has not progressed to that point. That coming to pass could certainly alter the Giants’ quarterback plans.
On his sixth team in six years, Glennon started five games for the Jaguars last season. The Giants did not re-sign Colt McCoy, who caught on with the Cardinals and fared well during Kyler Murray‘s November absence. Signed off the Bills’ practice squad, ex-Georgia standout Jake Fromm is in line to be Glennon’s backup Sunday.
Big Blue is on track to miss the playoffs for a fifth straight season, though the team is just one game out of the NFC’s final wild-card spot. More importantly, an early Jones shutdown would deprive the Giants of seeing a potentially lengthy sample of their starter playing alongside Saquon Barkley, Kenny Golladay and Kadarius Toney. The latter is doubtful for Week 13 but should be expected to return fairly soon.
The Jones-Jason Garrett partnership did not go well. The Duke product sits 25th in QBR. Jones’ 21 touchdown passes in the 25 games since his rookie season still trail his 2019 total (24). That output, achieved in 12 starts, ranks fifth among rookies in NFL history. Jones has shown flashes since but has largely not lived up to his No. 6 overall draft slot, though Barkley’s frequent unavailability and a low-end offensive line have impacted the young passer as well. The Giants are also likely to have a new GM in 2022, injecting some uncertainty regarding Jones’ fifth-year option. That price stands to come in at more than $21MM.
NFC East Notes: Parsons, McAdoo, Giants
The Cowboys are more than happy that they landed on linebacker Micah Parsons with the 12th-overall pick in this year’s draft. Parsons has started each of his 11 games for Dallas, collecting 67 tackles, nine sacks, and two forced fumbles, and he’s the runaway favorite to win Defensive Rookie of the Year. However, if the Cowboys had had their way, they would have used their selection on a cornerback.
As Jon Machota of The Athletic writes, the team’s “original plan” was to select either South Carolina’s Jaycee Horn or Alabama’s Patrick Surtain II. However, those cornerbacks were scooped up at No. 8 and No. 9 respectively, forcing the front office to pivot. They ended up landing on the Penn State linebacker (after trading down), and the organization couldn’t be happier with how it all turned out.
Parsons explained to Machota how he continues to improve throughout his first season in the NFL.
“People always talk about the rookie wall,” Parsons said, “but I just keep climbing and climbing because I’m excited to see what’s on the other side of that wall.
“I love what we have here. I’m just so honored and blessed to represent the star and have an opportunity to be a star here.”
Some more notes out of the NFC East…
- The Cowboys are dealing with COVID-19 cases throughout their staff, so they’ll be temporarily promoting Ben McAdoo to a coaching role, tweets NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. McAdoo, who had been serving as a “consultant to the coaches” in Dallas, will be in the coaches booth for tomorrow’s game against the Saints. The 44-year-old spent two years as the Giants head coach between 2016 and 2017, and he returned to the NFL last season when he was hired as the Jaguars QBs coach.
- Guess who else liked Horn and Surtain? The Giants, according to Paul Schwartz of the New York Post, but the Eagles’ decision to trade up (with the Cowboys, no less) to select wideout DeVonta Smith was the move that really threw New York’s draft into disarray. With the organization’s targets off the board, the team ultimately decided to trade with the Bears, with the Giants selecting wideout Kadarius Toney at No. 20.
- Another Cowboys/Giants connection: Ralph Vacchiano of SNY.tv writes that the Joe Judge/Jason Garrett pairing in New York was always an “arranged marriage.” Co-owner John Mara was the one who pushed to add Garrett as the team’s offensive coordinator, and the former Cowboys head coach was an “outlier” on a staff that generally had connections to their head coach. Garrett was ultimately canned by Judge and the Giants in late November after the team had collected a league-low 42 touchdowns.
- Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports opines that the Giants should go all out on Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson this offseason. The writer cites the organization’s draft capital (which, at the moment, includes picks No. 6 and No. 7), Daniel Jones‘ disappointment in New York, and Wilson’s supposed desire to play in the Big Apple. Assuming GM Dave Gettleman is out after the season, this would be a bold way for a new GM to begin their tenure, but the writer believes this would be preferable to rolling with Jones or drafting a quarterback in a weak class.
Giants Activate Logan Ryan, Place Darnay Holmes On IR
While the Giants are welcoming back one cornerback, another defensive back will be sidelined for the next few weeks. Paul Schwartz of the New York Post tweets that cornerback Darnay Holmes is heading to injured reserve. Meanwhile, the team will be activating veteran defensive back Logan Ryan from the reserve/COVID-19 list (via Schwartz on Twitter).
[RELATED: Giants QB Daniel Jones Week-To-Week With Neck Injury]
Holmes suffered a rib injury on Sunday that required an overnight stay at the hospital. Now, the 23-year-old will be forced to miss at least the next three Giants games. Holmes was a fourth-round pick by the Giants in 2020, and he started five of his 12 appearances as a rookie. The cornerback has started four of his 11 games this season, collecting 29 tackles, two passes defended, and one interception.
It’s been a few seasons since Ryan played cornerback, but the Giants will still welcome back their veteran safety with open arms. The 30-year-old has missed the past two games for New York, but he otherwise started each of the team’s first nine games. Ryan has collected 72 tackles and two forced fumbles this season.
The hits keep coming for the Giants. Earlier this evening, we learned that quarterback Daniel Jones was likely to be sidelined this weekend as he recovers from a neck strain.
Giants QB Daniel Jones Week-To-Week With Neck Injury
Daniel Jones‘ neck strain will likely force him to miss some time. NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reports (via Twitter) that the Giants quarterback is considered week-to-week and veteran Mike Glennon is expected to start on Sunday against the Dolphins. Ralph Vacchiano of SNY tweets that the starting QB’s status is uncertain, and his status will “depend on how he feels this week.”
Jones suffered the injury during the second play from scrimmage this past weekend against the Eagles. The quarterback ended up staying in the game and completing 19 of his 30 pass attempts for 202 yards and one touchdown (along with another 30 yards on the ground) in a Giants victory.
Jones missed games in each of his first two seasons in the NFL, and it’s bad timing for a struggling Giants offense that’s still managed to win three of their past five games. The former sixth-overall pick has seen some improvements during his junior season, holding a career-high mark in completion percentage (64.3) and a career-low mark in interception percentage.
Glennon stepped in for Jones when the starter exited the Giants’ Week 5 loss with a concussion. The 31-year-old completed 16 of his 25 pass attempts for 196 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions. The journeyman started five games for the Jaguars last season, throwing seven touchdowns vs. five interceptions. The Giants added some depth to their QB room earlier today when they signed Jake Fromm off the Bills practice squad. New York also has QB Brian Lewerke stashed on their taxi squad.