Giants Plan To Sign K Graham Gano
Lawrence Tynes was the Giants’ placekicker from 2007-12, though an injury limited him to two games in 2008. Now, he’s breaking news for Big Blue.
Tynes reports that the Giants are bringing in kicker Graham Gano for a visit (Twitter link). Ian Rapoport of NFL.com says the team is planning to sign the 33-year-old specialist, who was released by the Panthers last month (Twitter link).
New York, of course, has experienced some turmoil at the kicker position this year. Aldrick Rosas, the team’s kicker over the past three seasons — including a Pro Bowl campaign in 2018 — was cut by the Giants following a hit-and-run incident earlier this summer.
To replace Rosas, the Giants brought in Chandler Catanzaro, who appeared to be primed to claim New York’s kicking job. But assuming Gano is signed, there will be a legitimate competition between the two vets.
Gano was tremendous in his last full season in 2017, sinking 29 of his 30 field goal tries for a league-leading 96.7% conversion rate. That performance earned him the first Pro Bowl bid of his career, and it also helped him secure a four-year, $17MM deal. Unfortunately, a fractured femur suffered towards the end of the 2018 season laned Gano on IR, and he was unable to get back on the field in 2019. Before his release, though, his recovery was said to be progressing well.
Catanzaro, meanwhile, was a productive full-time kicker as recently as 2017 and does have several very productive seasons under his belt, but after a difficult preseason with the Jets last year, he announced his retirement. He came out of retirement to hook on with New Jersey’s other club, but he may be hard-pressed to beat out a healthy Gano.
Minor NFL Transactions: 8/16/20
Here are today’s minor moves. We will update this list as necessary throughout the day:
Buffalo Bills
- Signed: DL Tanzel Smart, DT Justin Zimmer
- Waived: WR Nick Easley
- Waived/injured: DT Niles Scott
Carolina Panthers
- Signed: WR Tommylee Lewis, WR Marken Michel, TE Andrew Vollert
- Waived: TE Cam Sutton, LB Kyahva Tezino, WR DeAndrew White
- Waived off IR: LB Jason Ferris
Cleveland Browns
- Signed: C Casey Dunn
- Waived: G Jovahn Fair
Dallas Cowboys
- Waived: DE Jalen Jelks
Kansas City Chiefs
- Signed: WR Aleva Hifo
New York Giants
- Waived: WR Cody White
New York Jets
- Signed: TE Connor Davis
- Waived: S Anthony Cioffi
Seattle Seahawks
- Waived: Marcus Webb
Minor NFL Transactions: 8/13/20
Today’s minor moves:
Atlanta Falcons
- Waived: S C.J. Reavis
Houston Texans
- Waived: T David Steinmetz
Miami Dolphins
- Signed: CB Deatrick Nichols
- Waived: S Steven Parker, TE Bryce Sterk
Minnesota Vikings
- Waived: LB DeMarquis Gates
New England Patriots
- Placed on reserve/retired list: C Dustin Woodward
- Waived: DE Nick Coe
New York Giants
- Claimed off waivers (from Jaguars): WR C.J. Board
San Francisco 49ers
- Waived: DL Alex Barrett
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: DE Wyatt Ray
Minor NFL Transactions: 8/12/20
Here are today’s minor moves. We will update as necessary throughout the day:
Cleveland Browns
- Signed: DE George Obinna
- Waived: DT Jeffery Whatley
Denver Broncos
- Waived/NFI: DL Jonathan Harris
Green Bay Packers
- Signed: WR Malik Turner
- Waived: S Frankie Griffin
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Signed: DE Josh Mauro
- Waived: WR C.J. Board
Miami Dolphins
- Claimed off waivers (from Steelers): CB Breon Borders
- Signed: DT Brandin Bryant
New England Patriots
- Signed: DT Darius Kilgo
New York Giants
- Signed: CB Prince Smith
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed: OT William Sweet
Giants’ Deal With Ross Cockrell Falls Through
It appeared that the Giants had added a veteran CB several days ago, when it was reported that the club had signed Ross Cockrell. However, that deal subsequently fell through.
According to Ralph Vacchiano of SNY.tv, New York believed it had agreed to terms with Cockrell before he came to the facility. Then, after the 29-year-old went through COVID-19 testing and his physical, he opted against signing the contract (Twitter link). Vacchiano reminds us that the Giants also believed they were in agreement with Cockrell on a new deal back in 2018, but Cockrell ultimately backed out of that agreement and signed with the Panthers.
The Bills selected the Duke product in the fourth round of the 2014 draft, and he appeared in seven games for Buffalo during his rookie year, mostly as a special teams contributor. He was released before final cutdowns in 2015 and hooked on with the Steelers shortly thereafter. He ultimately played in 31 games (23 starts) over two seasons in Pittsburgh, and he was traded to the Giants before the start of the 2017 campaign. Advanced metrics were generally fond of his work with the Steelers and the Giants, and it made sense that New York hoped to re-sign him in 2018.
Cockrell wound up not playing at all in 2018, as he suffered a broken leg during his first training camp with the Panthers. He ultimately appeared in 14 games (11 starts) for Carolina in 2019, and though he tied a career-high with 62 total tackles and tallied two interceptions, he was not as sharp in coverage as he had been in previous seasons.
Still, the Giants are exceedingly thin at cornerback behind free agent acquisition (and former Cockrell teammate) James Bradberry, so Cockrell may have had a real chance to re-establish himself as a starting-caliber corner with Big Blue. Instead, he is still looking for work.
For what it’s worth, head coach Joe Judge said adding a different veteran CB is not a priority, which suggests he’s comfortable with his in-house options (Twitter link via Dan Duggan of The Athletic).
Minor NFL Transactions: 8/11/20
Here are Tuesday’s minor moves, with the list being updated throughout the afternoon.
Chicago Bears
- Signed: DB Marqui Christian
- Waived: K Ramiz Ahmed
Cincinnati Bengals
- Waived: DT Tyler Clark
Los Angeles Rams
- Waived: CB Levonta Taylor
New England Patriots
- Signed: C Tyler Gauthier
New York Giants
- Signed: OL Jackson Dennis, WR Cody White
- Waived: TE Kyle Markway, LB Mark McLaurin
Seattle Seahawks
- Waived: CB Kemah Siverand
Tennessee Titans
- Waived/injured: LB Reggie Gilbert
Minor NFL Transactions: 8/9/20
We’ll keep track of this weekend’s minor moves here:
Cleveland Browns
- Claimed: DB M.J. Stewart. (from Buccaneers)
Detroit Lions
- Released: WR Travis Fulgham
Miami Dolphins
- Signed: WR Ricardo Louis, WR Chester Rogers
New York Giants
- Signed: CB Ross Cockrell
Giants LS Zak DeOssie Retires
Months after Eli Manning‘s retirement, the other holdover from the Giants’ most recent two Super Bowl teams will call it quits. Long snapper Zak DeOssie announced his retirement Friday (Twitter link), though he indicated he made this decision months ago.
DeOssie played for the Giants throughout his career, which spanned from 2007-19, and snapped for both of Big Blue’s 21st-century championship teams. His 199 regular-season games rank behind only Manning, Michael Strahan, tight end Howard Cross and defensive lineman George Martin in Giants history.
This move was not unexpected. The Giants anticipated DeOssie’s retirement months ago, when they signed former Broncos long snapper Casey Kreiter. DeOssie, 36, finished last season on IR after suffering knee and wrist injuries. DeOssie missed five games. Throughout his career, the former fourth-round pick only missed nine.
This will signal a new era for the Giants. Their longest-tenured player now, wideout Sterling Shepard, has only been with the team since 2016.
DeAndre Baker Facing Four Charges For Robbery; No Charges For Quinton Dunbar
Giants cornerback DeAndre Baker will be charged with four counts of robbery with a firearm, per an announcement from the Broward State Attorney’s office. Seahawks cornerback Quinton Dunbar – who was previously alleged to be his accomplice – will not face charges, due to a lack of evidence.
Both players are currently on the commissioner’s exempt list, which bars them from playing or practicing. The Giants effectively beat the league to the punch on that front, having asked Baker to stay home shortly after the incident. The Seahawks, on the other hand, had Dunbar log in for virtual offseason activities.
Baker was originally facing eight felony charges while Dunbar was facing four. Recently, Baker was reported to be involved in an attempt to pay off witnesses to recant their statements related to the robbery. Dunbar’s former attorney, Michael Grieco, was allegedly involved in this scheme as well. Baker’s attorney denies this occurred and said his client has passed a lie detector test.
Baker, entering his second year as a pro, was a first-round pick of the Giants in 2019. He was their biggest draft investment at cornerback since Eli Apple, but he struggled in coverage as a rookie. The Giants were hoping to see him take a step forward as a starter this year, but it seems unlikely that he’ll take the field anytime soon.
Dunbar, meanwhile, was traded from the Washington Football Team to the Seahawks. Last year, Pro Football Focus graded him as one of the league’s best corners, and he finished out with four interceptions.
2020 NFL Cap Space, By Team
A total of 67 NFL players opted out of the 2020 season, leaving teams with major roster holes and newly-found cap space. Here’s the rundown of every team’s official cap figure, via ESPN.com’s Field Yates (on Twitter):
- Cleveland Browns – $40.5MM
- New England Patriots – $33.4MM
- Washington Football Team – $30.6MM
- Denver Broncos – $29.5MM
- New York Jets – $29.3MM
- Tennessee Titans – $25.2MM
- Miami Dolphins – $24.7MM
- Buffalo Bills – $24.2MM
- Philadelphia Eagles – $23.7MM
- Detroit Lions – $22.9MM
- Indianapolis Colts – $22.3MM
- New York Giants – $21.4MM
- Houston Texans – $21.1MM
- Cincinnati Bengals – $18.6MM
- Chicago Bears – $17.2MM
- Jacksonville Jaguars – $17MM
- Seattle Seahawks – $14.5MM
- Los Angeles Chargers – $13.7MM
- Green Bay Packers – $12.3MM
- Carolina Panthers – $13.2MM
- Kansas City Chiefs – $13MM
- San Francisco 49ers – $12.5MM
- Minnesota Vikings – $12.4MM
- Dallas Cowboys – $9.9MM
- New Orleans Saints – $7.8MM
- Atlanta Falcons – $7.4MM
- Baltimore Ravens – $7MM
- Arizona Cardinals – $5.6MM
- Pittsburgh Steelers – $4.5MM
- Los Angeles Rams – $3.9MM
- Las Vegas Raiders – $3.3MM
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers – $1.4MM