NFL Workouts: Giants, WFT, Foreman
Here’s a look at some of today’s more notable auditions, courtesy of NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero (Twitter link):
- The Giants worked out punters J.K. Scott, Kaare Vedvik, and Brandon Wright. For now, that job is held by Riley Dixon, though the Giants could just be keeping their emergency list up to date. Dixon, a former draft pick of Denver, is under contract through 2022 thanks to his three-year, $8.7MM deal.
- The Washington Football Team auditioned running backs D’Onta Foreman and Ryquell Armstead. Foreman, recently released from Atlanta’s practice squad, also showed his stuff for the Raiders earlier this month. Foreman is best known for his rookie year with the Texans but hasn’t been the same since tearing his Achilles midway through that season.
- The Packers are meeting with defensive ends Taco Charlton and R.J. McIntosh. Charlton, once a highly-touted first-round pick of the Cowboys, flamed out quickly in Dallas. His best work to date came with the Dolphins when he notched five sacks in ten games. Still, he had a decent 2020 with the Chiefs, up until his November leg fracture. In that shortened KC run, Charlton recorded two sacks, four quarterback hits, and a forced fumble.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/20/21
Today’s taxi squad moves:
Las Vegas Raiders
- Signed: QB Kyle Sloter
Los Angeles Rams
- Signed: RB Javian Hawkins
- Released: RB Otis Anderson
Minnesota Vikings
- Signed: TE Brandon Dillon
New York Giants
- Signed: G Cole Banwart
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed: CB Rashard Robinson
- Released: CB Herb Miller
Giants OL Nick Gates Suffers Lower Leg Fracture
Giants offensive lineman Nick Gates left tonight’s game following a brutal leg injury. According to the team, Gates suffered a lower leg fracture (via NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport on Twitter).
The injury occurred in the first quarter. Gates was tossed to the ground, and teammate Daron Payne accidentally rolled over the lineman’s ankle. Gates’ leg was placed in an air cast before he was carted off the field. The broadcast refused to show a replay considering the gruesome nature of the injury.
Gates was an undrafted free agent in 2018, but he’s transformed into one of the Giants’ most reliable offensive lineman. The 25-year-old started all 16 games for New York in 2020, and he was named a team captain prior to the 2021 campaign. He appeared in all 61 of the Giants’ offensive snaps during their Week 1 loss.
After playing center in 2020, the Giants shifted Gates to left guard this week following an injury to Shane Lemieux. This allowed recent acquisition Billy Price to slide into the center spot. Ben Bredeson replaced Gates following the injury, per Charean Williams of ProFootballTalk.com.
Minor NFL Transactions: 9/16/21
We’ll keep track of today’s minor moves here:
Baltimore Ravens
- Promoted: RB Devonta Freeman (story)
Detroit Lions
- Claimed (from Jets): CB Corey Ballentine
- Promoted: OT Will Holden
Houston Texans
- Placed on IR: LB Kevin Pierre-Louis
- Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: OL Charlie Heck
New York Giants
- Promoted: WR C.J. Board, TE Chris Myarick
New York Jets
- Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: WR Jamison Crowder
Giants Place G Shane Lemieux On IR
The knee injury Shane Lemieux suffered in late July has continued to plague him, and the Giants will give the young guard time to recover. They placed Lemieux on IR Thursday.
Inserted into the Giants’ starting lineup after Will Hernandez‘s COVID-19 contraction last year, Lemieux did not give up the job the rest of the way. After New York released Kevin Zeitler this offseason, Lemieux and Hernandez started in Week 1. Surgery may be in the cards for Lemieux, though that is not yet certain. The 2020 fifth-round pick playing again this season would be a surprise, per Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com (on Twitter).
[RELATED: Giants Promote Matt Skura]
Lemieux’s injury will force the Giants to get creative on their offensive line. They are set to start recent trade acquisition Billy Price at center and slide Nick Gates to left guard, Raanan notes. Such a promotion occurring in Week 2, which features a short week and a trip to Washington, will represent a stiff challenge for Price. The former first-round pick could not stick in the Bengals’ lineup, despite the team’s lofty investment, and was traded to the Giants for a late-round pick.
Lemieux could not make it through the first half against the Broncos, playing only 17 snaps. Ben Bredeson, the other O-line trade acquisition the Giants made ahead of the season, replaced him in the lineup. But the ex-Raven is set to return to a reserve role tonight.
Considering the issues the Giants had up front with their starting five available over the past several weeks, the team needing to make changes ahead of a Thursday road tilt is certainly bad news. The Giants are looking to avoid an 0-2 start for the first time since 2016.
Giants Promote Matt Skura
The Giants have promoted offensive lineman Matt Skura to the 53-man roster (Twitter link via agent David Canter). Skura will be eligible to play tonight against the Washington Football Team, providing depth in the wake of Shane Lemieux‘s knee injury.
Lemieux, the starting left guard, was replaced by Ben Bredeson last week. Nick Gates could also step in at LG if former Bengals first rounder Billy Price is shifted to the middle. In any scenario, Skura offers some upside as a supporting cast member.
Skura spent four seasons as a Ravens starter, working at center and guard. He operated as Baltimore’s starting center for most of Lamar Jackson‘s tenure, helping the team to historic rushing totals. The Giants added him to their taxi squad earlier this month after he was dropped by the Dolphins.
Skura, 27, comes with 51 games of starting experience and a serious medical file. The veteran started 16 games for the Ravens in 2018 but tore his ACL, MCL and PCL towards the end of the 2019 season. He didn’t bounce back all that well last year — Pro Football Focus graded him as one of the league’s worst centers before he lost his starting job in Baltimore.
The offensive line has been a sticking point for the Giants for years, so they’re eager to find solutions. After falling 27-13 in the season opener against the Broncos, they’ll aim for the .500 mark tonight against Washington.
Minor NFL Transactions: 9/11/21
With Week 1 games on tap for 28 teams Sunday, here is Saturday’s extensive batch of minor moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Placed on IR: LB Dennis Gardeck
- Promoted: LB Kylie Fitts, CB Antonio Hamilton
Cleveland Browns
- Promoted: LB Elijah Lee, K Chris Naggar
Denver Broncos
- Promoted: RB Damarea Crockett, CB Nate Hairston
Detroit Lions
- Promoted: T Will Holden, G Tommy Kraemer
Houston Texans
- Promoted: TE Antony Auclair
Indianapolis Colts
- Promoted: S Sean Davis, C Joey Hunt
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Promoted: DB Brandon Rusnak, WR Devin Smith
Los Angeles Rams
- Promoted: DB Tyler Hall, LB Justin Lawler
Miami Dolphins
- Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: T Austin Jackson; Jackson is the first player to test positive for COVID-19 and be activated the same week, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets, with the second-year offensive lineman’s vaccinated status allowing him to return five days after landing on Miami’s coronavirus list
New Orleans Saints
- Waived: T Caleb Benenoch
New York Giants
- Promoted: WR C.J. Board
New York Jets
- Placed on IR: S Sharrod Neasman
- Promoted: S Adrian Colbert, LB Del’Shawn Phillips
San Francisco 49ers
- Released from IR via injury settlement: T Shon Coleman
Seattle Seahawks
- Promoted: LB Jon Rhattigan
Washington Football Team
- Promoted: LB Jared Norris
Minor NFL Transactions: 9/9/21
Here are Thursday’s minor moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Released from IR via injury settlement: CB Darqueze Dennard (story)
Atlanta Falcons
- Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: TE Parker Hesse
Baltimore Ravens
- Reverted to IR: RB Justice Hill (story)
Dallas Cowboys
- Promoted from practice squad: TE Jeremy Sprinkle, S Darian Thompson
New York Giants
- Released from IR via injury settlement: OL Ted Larsen
Philadelphia Eagles
- Released from IR via injury settlement: DB Blake Countess
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Promoted from practice squad: S Andrew Adams, WR Jaydon Mickens
Tennessee Titans
- Waived: OL Cole Banwart
Giants Rework Sterling Shepard’s Deal
The Giants have converted $5.985MM of Sterling Shepard’s base salary into a signing bonus (Twitter link via Field Yates of ESPN.com). The adjustment gives the Giants $3.99MM additional room while increasing Sterling’s 2022-2023 cap charges by $1.995MM. 
Shepard has been a focal point of the Giants’ offense for the last five years, totaling 313 catches for 3,518 yards and 20 touchdowns. He matched his career best in receptions last year (66) in just 12 games, though his 656 yards were down from his usual work. Shepard finished 2020 with 9.9 yards per grab, a number that he’ll look to improve upon this year.
Fellow wideout Darius Slayton and tight end Evan Engram were the only Giants to receive more looks from Daniel Jones (and Colt McCoy) in 2020. Still, Shepard caught more passes than anyone on the team.
Shepard and the Giants will open the 2021 season on Sunday when they take on the Broncos at MetLife Stadium.
Contract Restructures: Graham, Nassib, Ryan
With the start of Week 1 quickly approaching, NFL front offices are still finding ways to open some cap space. A handful of players restructured their contracts today, and we’ve compiled some of the notable transactions below:
- TE Jimmy Graham, Bears: Converted $5.825MM of salary into signing bonus, opening $4.66MM in cap space while also adding four voidable years to contract (via ESPN’s Field Yates on Twitter). The veteran inked a two-year, $16MM deal with the Bears prior to last season, and he finished his first season in Chicago with 50 receptions for 456 yards and eight touchdowns.
- DE Carl Nassib, Raiders: Converted $2.51MM of salary into a signing bonus, opening $2.008MM in cap space (via ESPN’s Field Yates on Twitter). Nassib inked a three-year, $25MM deal (including $16.75MM guaranteed) with the Raiders last offseason. The 28-year-old got into 14 games (five starts) during his first season in Las Vegas, finishing with 28 tackles, 2.5 sacks, and nine QB hits.
- DB Logan Ryan, Giants: Converted “most of the base salary” into signing bonus (per NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport on Twitter). The veteran was set to earn around $5.5MM this upcoming season. After inking a one-year deal with the Giants last offseason, Ryan signed a three-year, $31MM extension (with $20MM guaranteed) in December. After switching from cornerback to safety, Ryan finished his first season in New York with 94 tackles, three forced fumbles, nine passes defended, and one interception.
- OT Duane Brown, Seahawks: Converted $7MM of base salary into signing bonus, saving the team $3.5MM in cap space. After skipping training camp in pursuit of an extension, we learned earlier today that the veteran lineman got an extra year tacked onto his contract. Indeed, as veteran reporter John Clayton points out, Brown got an extra year “with an injury protection benefit for 2022.”