Giants Acquire CB Ross Cockrell
The Giants have acquired cornerback Ross Cockrell from the Steelers in exchange for a conditional 2018 draft pick, Pittsburgh announced.
Cockrell, 26, was a 16-game starter for the first time in his career in 2016, and he played rather well, grading the NFL’s No. 27 cornerback, per Pro Football Focus. However, the Steelers signed free agent cornerback Joe Haden earlier this week, a move that would have pushed Cockrell into a reserve role.
Of course, Cockrell will be a backup with the Giants, as well, as Big Blue boasts one of the more impressive secondaries in the league. New York will start Eli Apple, Janoris Jenkins, and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie in its nickel package, making Cockrell one of the NFL’s best fourth cornerbacks.
A restricted free agent, Cockrell will earn $1.797MM in 2017 before hitting the open market next spring.
Giants To Place Mark Herzlich On IR
The Giants are planning to place linebacker Mark Herzlich on injured reserve, Josina Anderson of ESPN.com tweets.
Herzlich has been a reserve linebacker and special teamer for the G-Men for the past six seasons. This year, he changed his jersey number from 94 to 44 so that can appear eligible on offensive plays, but we won’t get to see him line up as a fullback/tight end this year.
The exact nature of his injury is presently unclear. Herzlich has been sidelined as of late with what was initially diagnosed as a stinger in his neck. Apparently, it’s something more serious.
Herzlich celebrated his 30th birthday on Friday.
Giants To Waive TE Will Tye
The Giants will waive tight end Will Tye, according to Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
Tye, 27, had started 17 games for New York over the past two seasons. Since entering the league as an undrafted free agent in 2015, Tye has averaged 45 receptions, 430 yards, and two touchdowns per year. Because he’s not a vested veteran, he’ll go on waivers and can be claimed by any club.
The Giants used a first-round pick on tight end Evan Engram earlier this year, a move which spelled Tye’s departure. Other tight ends on New York’s roster include free agent acquisition Rhett Ellison and 2016 sixth-rounder Jerell Adams.
Giants To Release QB Josh Johnson
The Giants are releasing quarterback Josh Johnson, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. This ostensibly means that Geno Smith has won the backup job.
The news comes as a bit of a surprise since the word this summer was that Johnson would likely prevail over Smith. Johnson, 31, is out after re-signing with the Giants on a two-year deal in March, but this is familiar territory for him. After spending the first three years of his career with the Bucs, Johnson has had stints with the Ravens, Browns, Bengals, 49ers, Colts, Bills, Jets, and Giants – all since 2012. The last time he took the field was in 2013 with Cincinnati.
Smith, a former second-round pick of the Jets, has had a bizarre career to date with little to cheer about. The 26-year-old (27 in October) has a career 57.9% completion percentage and a touchdown-to-interception ration of 28:36. The Giants are hoping that he can be a suitable emergency option in the event of an Eli Manning injury, however.
Third-round pick Davis Webb is slated to open the season as the Giants’ third-string quarterback.
Giants Release K Mike Nugent
The Giants’ kicker competition has seemingly come to an end. According to Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (via Twitter), the team is releasing veteran Mike Nugent. That means 2016 undrafted rookie Aldrick Rosas has earned the starting gig.
Following seven seasons with the Bengals, Nugent signed with the Giants this offseason to provide competition for Rosas. While the veteran has never been confused for an All-Pro kicker, he has been relatively consistent during his career, connecting on 80.8-percent of his field goal attempts and 96.9-percent of his extra points. However, the 35-year-old seemingly took a step back in 2016, connecting on only 79.3-percent of field goals and a career-low 79.3-percent of his extra point attempts.
After joining the Titans as an undrafted free agent in 2016, Rosas signed a reserve/future contract with the Giants back in January. The 22-year-old has proven to be more than capable during the preseason, connecting on all eight of his field goal attempts and each of his six extra point attempts.
Giants Release DE Devin Taylor
Devin Taylor‘s tenure with the Giants ended relatively quickly. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter (via Twitter), the team has released the veteran defensive end.
Taylor originally joined the Giants back in May. Previously, the 2013 fourth-round pick had spent his entire four-year career in Detroit, where he served mostly in a reserve role. Taylor earned a bit more responsibility in 2016, starting a career-high 16 games while compiling 21 tackles, 4.5 sacks, and one forced fumble. The 27-year-old has 15 career sacks in four seasons.
With Taylor out of the picture, it appears that the Giants will roll with a younger reserve at defensive end. Among the candidates for a backup role are Romeo Okwara, Avery Moss, Kerry Wynn, Ishaq Williams, and Bobby Richardson. Olivier Vernon and Jason Pierre-Paul are slotted in as the team’s starters at defensive end.
Giants Reduce Roster To 80
The Giants have begun the process of getting their roster to the league-mandated maximum of 53 players. The club announced the following moves today:
Placed on IR:
Waived:
- LB Chris Casher
- LB Steven Daniels
- WR C.J. Germany
- CB Tay Glover-Wright
- CB Daniel Gray
- OL Richard Levy
- S Eric Pinkins
- CB Tim Scott
Minor NFL Transactions: 8/30/17
Today’s minor moves:
Atlanta Falcons
- Waived: WR Reginald Davis III, T Wil Freeman, S Jordan Moore, S Deron Washington
- Waived from IR: T Kevin Graf
Dallas Cowboys
- Signed: RB Brandon Brown-Dukes
Houston Texans
- Waived from IR: WR Devin Street
Los Angeles Rams
- Signed: K Travis Coons
New York Giants
- Waived from IR: WR Darius Powe
Philadelphia Eagles
- Claimed off waivers: DE Jake Metz
Tennessee Titans
- Waived/injured: CB Jeremy Boykins, WR Mekale McKay
Giants' Potential Trade Candidates
- Tight end Will Tye, defensive ends Kerry Wynn and Romeo Okwara, wide receiver Dwayne Harris, kicker Aldrick Rosas and offensive lineman D.J. Fluker aren’t sure bets to make the Giants’ roster and could be on the block, James Kratch of NJ.com observes. Although, given that trades in the NFL are rare and nobody from that group holds much appeal, Kratch doesn’t expect Big Blue to make any deals in the coming days.
Giants Waive Owa Odighizuwa
The Giants have waived Owa Odighizuwa. The move was expected after the defensive end was hit with a four-game suspension on Monday.
For much of the offseason, it seemed like Odighizuwa was prepared to walk away from football at the age of 25. After taking some time to mull it all over, Odighizuwa was a late entrant to training camp and put himself in the mix to make the final 53-man cut. Word is that he was struggling in practice, however, and was far from a lock to stay with the team past the Saturday deadline. Once word of the PED ban came down, it was a fairly easy call for GM Jerry Reese & Co.
Odighizuwa will be free to sign with any club if he clears waivers in the next 24 hours. Odds are, he will.