R.J. McIntosh Lands On Giants' Non-Football Illness List
- Fifth-round pick R.J. McIntosh signed his Giants contract and ended a months-long process. But the defensive lineman will begin camp on the active/non-football illness list. McIntosh was diagnosed with a thyroid condition at the Combine and underwent an undisclosed procedure in June.
Giants Sign Fifth-Round Pick R.J. McIntosh
Rookies are due to report to Giants training camp Sunday, and the team took care of the final pieces of business involving its 2018 class. Shortly after announcing Saquon Barkley had signed his rookie contract, the Giants agreed to terms with fifth-round pick R.J. McIntosh to finalize its 2018 rookie agreements.
McIntosh was the final Giants pick and the last to sign. Interestingly, he’s the only player selected beyond Round 2 who’d entered Sunday without a four-year rookie agreement in place. McIntosh’s deal is expected to be worth $2.7MM.
- 1-2: Saquon Barkley, RB (Penn State)
- 2-34: Will Hernandez, G (UTEP)
- 3-66: Lorenzo Carter, LB (Georgia)
- 3-69: B.J. Hill, DT (North Carolina State)
- 4-108: Kyle Lauletta, QB (Richmond)
- 5-139: R.J. McIntosh, DT (Miami)
With McIntosh, Barkley, Colts second-rounder Darius Leonard and Patriots first-rounder Sony Michel having signed Sunday, just eight rookies remain unsigned.
A thyroid issue diagnosed at the Combine was rumored to have held up McIntosh’s deal, but he’ll be at camp with the rest of his class. McIntosh did not take any reps at Giants OTAs or minicamp due to an offseason surgery, Matt Lombardo of NJ.com notes.
Giants Sign Saquon Barkley
The Giants have signed first-round running back Saquon Barkley, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link).
Barkley, the second overall pick in the 2018 draft, will receive a fully guaranteed four-year deal worth $31.2MM, per Rapoport. The pact also contains a $20.76MM signing bonus, $15MM of which he’ll receive immediately. The remainder of Barkley’s bonus will be paid out by October.
With Barkley under contract, only 10 2018 draft selections remain unsigned, and the majority of those players are first-rounders. Reports earlier this year indicated offset language was the primary driver in first-round pick negotiations. Thanks to the slotting system for rookie deals, and the fact that first-round picks are nearly always guaranteed the entirety of their deals, offset language is the only area left for haggling.
Offset language does exist in Barkley’s deal, tweets Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. That means Barkley won’t be allowed to “double-dip” — i.e. collect extra salary from a new team — in the event that he’s released during the next four seasons. Obviously, the Giants are hoping that a Barkley release will not occur over the life of his contract, but the club has protected itself nevertheless.
New York chose Barkley near the top of the first round instead of picking a potential franchise quarterback, a decision that could be analyzed for years to come. But Barkley figures to be one of the primary pieces of the Giants’ offense in 2018, as he’ll run behind a revamped offensive line that includes free agent acquisition Nate Solder at tackle and second-rounder Will Hernandez at guard.
John Jerry, Kerry Wynn Among Potential Giants Cuts
- Ryan Dunleavy of NJ.com takes a look at 10 Giants who are in danger of being cut because of their salaries, the status of their position groups, or some combination thereof. Dunleavy’s list is headlined by guard John Jerry and defensive end Kerry Wynn.
Latest On Anthem Issue
Months after the NFL passed an anthem policy without players’ input — one that appeared to reignite the issue and please few in the process — the NFLPA’s grievance caused the league to pump the brakes on it. Now, the old policy is in place after the NFL and the union agreed to resume talks on the issue.
Some new developments surfaced Friday. Dolphins owner Stephen Ross attempted to navigate the PR damage his team’s anthem policy — potentially a four-game suspension for players who kneel during the song’s playing, news of which broke before the NFL-NFLPA’s joint statement emerged Thursday night — by saying this course of action was merely a placeholder.
“We were asked to submit a form to the NFL on our overall discipline policy prior to the start of the rookie report date. The one-line sentence related to the national anthem was a placeholder as we haven’t made a decision on what we would do, if anything, at that point,” Ross said in a statement (Twitter link).
Giants co-owner Steve Tisch also discussed this issue, coming out on the players’ side of the discussion. Tisch said, via Marc Malkin of the Hollywood Reporter, Giants players will not be disciplined for protesting during the anthem. However, it’s not known if the Giants’ better-known co-owner, the influential John Mara, is fully on board.
“We support our players,” Tisch said. “They are not going to be punished. There is not going to be any punitive action taking place against them.”
President Donald Trump (Twitter link) resurfaced with thoughts on this issue, which has become one of his frequent talking points. Perhaps rhetorically, Trump asked if it was “in contract that players must stand at attention, hand on heart?” No such language exists in any player’s contract. Trump also suggested the NFL first suspend players who kneel during the anthem before calling for Roger Goodell to suspend protesters without pay for the season were they to do so a second time.
The Dolphins’ leaked placeholder policy did not prompt the sides to issue their joint statement Thursday night, Mark Maske of the Washington Post reports, adding both sides hope this resolved before Week 1. Maske reports an arbitrator also was not required to produce Thursday’s statement scrapping May anthem policy, pointing out the league and the union have engaged in dialogue since the June grievance emerged.
The NFLPA, not the Players Coalition, is overseeing the talks with the NFL this time, Maske reports.
“I know there have been conversations about the grievance. But in terms of sitting down to talk about a resolution with players being involved, there hasn’t been anything yet,” Bills linebacker Lorenzo Alexander, part of the NFLPA’s ruling executive committee, told Maske. “That’s the whole purpose, to have some face-to-face conversations about this. That’s what’s in the works now.”
Details On Sam Beal's Deal
- Giants third-round supplemental draft cornerback Sam Beal‘s deal is worth $4,082MM over four years and includes a $1.048MM signing bonus, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets.
Giants Sign Sam Beal
The Giants signed supplemental draft choice Sam Beal, according to a team announcement. The Giants selected the former Western Michigan cornerback with their third-round pick in last week’s second chance draft. 
The Giants have yet to sign two of their draft picks, including No. 2 overall selection Saquon Barkley, but they didn’t have any real hangups in getting Beal to sign. Beal will play under a four-year rookie deal with a salary to match the equivalent slot in the 2018 draft.
The supplemental draft hasn’t been a major event in the NFL in recent years, but Beal’s potential had scouts buzzing. Many expected Beal to be in the first round conversation in 2019 had he stayed in school. Instead, Beal opted to go pro one year early and the Giants were happy to pounce on him.
By selecting Beal, the Giants fortified a cornerback group that is without Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie. The Giants did not take a cornerback in the spring draft, Beal gives them a young and talented prospect behind starters Eli Apple and Janoris Jenkins. Meanwhile, the arrival of Beal will put pressure on the Giants’ other reserve corners, a group that includes free agent additions William Gay, Teddy Williams, and B.W. Webb plus holdover Donte Deayon.
One Giants beat writer thinks that Beal won’t be able to make a real impact until the second half of the season, at the earliest. Time will tell whether Beal can get caught up on the playbook quickly and make a difference in the fall.
Giants Notes: Latimer, Receivers, Hill, Stewart
Wide receiver Cody Latimer has had an up and down journey since entering the NFL. He came into the league as a second round pick of the Broncos in 2014, but never really established himself as a receiving threat. He was immediately labeled a bust by fans and media, and was never really able to recover. Latimer was able to stick in Denver by becoming an elite special teams player, excelling on kick coverage units.
This past year, Latimer finally began to catch some passes. After never cracking 100 yards receiving his first three seasons, he racked up 287 last year along with two touchdowns. He averaged an impressive 15.1 yards per catch and parlayed that progress along with his special teams prowess into a one-year $2.5MM contract with the Giants. Now with New York, Latimer has already been making an impression. He’s reportedly done well during offseason workouts, and the Giants’ number three receiving job is now “his to lose” according to Matt Lombardo of NJ.com.
Latimer appears to have turned his career around, and looks likely to have the biggest offensive role in his career this upcoming season. He’ll be an unrestricted free agent again this March, and if he shows well for the Giants, he should be able to cash in.
Here’s more from New York:
- Behind Latimer, the Giants’ receiving situation is less clear, writes Lombardo. He views Russell Shepard, Kalif Raymond, and Travis Rudolph as all being on the roster bubble, likely fighting for one spot. Whoever shows they can make the biggest impact on special teams may win the three way battle.
- Defensive lineman B.J. Hill will be starting as a rookie, according to Ryan Dunleavy of NJ.com. The third rounder from NC State has reportedly impressed this offseason, and Dunleavy is quite confident he’ll be starting on the outside of the Giants’ 3-4 defense. He calls Hill a “shrewd pick” and adds that while Josh Mauro will “enter the mix” when he returns from suspension, for now it’s Hill’s job.
- Dunleavy thinks the team wouldn’t have signed veteran running back Jonathan Stewart had they known Saquon Barkley would be available for them to draft at number two. The Giants apparently feared the Browns would take Barkley first overall, and signed Stewart as insurance. Now, instead of carrying the ball, Stewart’s “main role will be as a locker room leader and conduit” for GM Dave Gettleman, writes Dunleavy.
- In case you missed it, check out another round of Giants notes from yesterday.
Giants Notes: McAdoo, McIntosh, Beal, Bettcher
Ben McAdoo has been fairly quiet ever since he was fired by the Giants midway through last season. Not anymore. McAdoo opened up in a recent interview with Paul Schwartz of the New York Post, dishing on a number of topics related to his old team. McAdoo talked about how excited he is for the Giants and how much he likes the vision being implemented by new GM Dave Gettleman. He even said he thinks the Giants are going to win the NFC East in 2018.
The most notable part of McAdoo’s interview may be his comments on offensive tackle Ereck Flowers. McAdoo was blunt in talking about Flowers’ shortcomings, and didn’t sound too hopeful for the fourth-year player. Selected ninth overall in 2015, Flowers has been a major bust at left tackle, and the Giants are experimenting with him at right tackle this offseason. McAdoo doesn’t think it’ll make a difference. “He can’t bend, you got to be able to bend” he said of his former player, adding “you can run around him on that side just like you can on the other side.” It’s somewhat refreshing to hear a coach speak that openly, but it likely won’t help him in his search for another coaching gig.
Here’s more from New York:
- Giants fifth round pick R.J. McIntosh is the only player drafted outside the first two rounds who has yet to sign his rookie deal. A thyroid issue may be holding up McIntosh’s contract, but a deal should get done soon, a source told Ryan Dunleavy of NJ.com.
- Dunleavy thinks recently drafted cornerback Sam Beal “might not be able to make an impact until the second half of his rookie season” even if he impresses the team. Dunleavy notes that the Supplemental Draft pick is “16 practices and three months of preparation behind the other rookies” so it will take him a while to catch up.
- Defensive coordinator James Bettcher will be a “hot candidate” for head coaching vacancies in 2019 if the Giants defense “has a bounce-back year”, according to Dunleavy. He also thinks defensive backs coach Lou Anarumo is a future coordinator in the league who teams will soon begin to take notice of.
Eli Manning Glad Giants Didn't Draft QB
To the dismay of many analysts, the Giants didn’t use the second overall pick on a franchise quarterback, instead opting to select running back Saquon Barkley, who figures to make a more immediate impact. Incumbent signal-caller Eli Manning, however, was — perhaps obviously — pleased with New York’s decision not to draft his successor. “It was kind of a vote of confidence in that they trusted in me that I can play at a high level, can win games, take us deep in playoffs and win championships and win championships still,” Manning said, per SiriusXM NFL Radio. “And you know what? I want to prove them right and I want to make them look smart and make them to have made the right decision in doing that.” The Giants are going all-in with Manning under center, and are hoping new head coach Pat Shurmur can do for Manning what he did for journeyman Case Keenum in Minnesota in 2017. Last year, the 37-year-old Manning finished just 23rd in both adjusted net yards per attempt and passer rating.