Giants Place Shane Vereen, Ryan Nassib On IR
The Giants announced that they have officially placed Shane Vereen on IR. Quarterback Ryan Nassib is also being shut down with an elbow injury. To take their place on the roster, the Giants signed linebacker Ishaq Williams off their practice squad, as well as running back George Winn.
On Monday, head coach Ben McAdoo indicated that Vereen’s season was likely over. It’s an unfortunate break for the veteran as he only just came back from his initial triceps injury in Week 14. The 27-year-old’s season is finished after playing in just five games. He had 33 carries for 158 yards and one touchdown. He also added 11 catches for 94 yards. He’s under contract for one more year with the Giants for nearly $5MM against the cap.
Since being selected in the fourth round of the 2013 draft, Nassib hasn’t made a single start for the Giants. He’s slated to hit free agency after the season and it will be interesting to see what kind of market develops for him, if the Giants allow him to test the waters in March. Nassib has received praise from Giants coaches for his work in practice, but we only have preseason games and the occasional regular season cameo to evaluate him on.
With Nassib sidelined, Josh Johnson becomes Eli Manning’s primary backup.
Giants RB Shane Vereen Re-Injures Triceps
Giants running back Shane Vereen has re-injured his triceps and is now likely done for the remainder of the 2016 season, tweets Art Stapleton of the Record. Head coach Ben McAdoo has since confirmed the report at a press conference today.
[RELATED: New York Giants Depth Chart]
Vereen missed nine games earlier this season after originally suffering the triceps injury, and had just come off injured reserve in time for New York’s Week 14 contest against the Cowboys. The Giants had been slowly working Vereen back into the offense, and he had only contributed two rush attempts and three receptions during the club’s two most recent games. Vereen, 27, is signed through the 2017 campaign, and is scheduled to count nearly $5MM on New York’s salary cap next year.
Given that Vereen was sidelined for the majority of the Giants’ season, Big Blue shouldn’t have any trouble finishing out its season — which is extremely likely to end with a postseason appearance — without him. Rashad Jennings will continue to act as the team’s lead back, while Paul Perkins and Bobby Rainey chip in on part-time duty. Russell Hansbrough, currently on the Giants’ practice squad, is a candidate for promotion once Vereen is officially placed on injured reserve.
Giants Promote Ishaq Williams
- The Giants will promote defensive lineman Ishaq Williams to the active roster, according to Dan Duggan of NJ.com.
NFL Expected To Fine Giants For Use Of Walkie-Talkies
SUNDAY, 10:05am: ESPN’s Adam Schefter confirms that the Giants are expected to be fined for the walkie-talkie incident, but he reports that Big Blue is not expected to lose a draft pick for the infraction. Officials from rival clubs, according to Schefter, do not believe a fine is sufficient punishment. McAdoo has declined to provide further details.
SATURDAY, 10:35am: The NFL is planning to fine the Giants for the use of walkie-talkies on the sideline during last weekend’s win over the Cowboys, reports Michael David Smith of ProFootballTalk.com. The writer notes that there’s uncertainty whether the NFL will resolve the fiasco “quickly and quietly” or launch a “full-blown investigation.”
The issue started during Sunday’s game against Dallas, when the “coach-to-quarterback system” malfunctioned, preventing quarterback Eli Manning from receiving play calls from coach Ben McAdoo. To resolve the issue, McAdoo used a walkie-talkie to communicate to Manning, which is against NFL rules. The league prevents coaches from communicating with their quarterbacks when there are less than 15 seconds remaining on the play clock, and a walkie-talkie would presumably prevent the NFL from monitoring the situation. Coaches are also not allowed to hold two-way radios during a game, although backup quarterbacks are curiously allowed to have one.
After the game, the Cowboys asked the league to investigate. Dallas hasn’t filed a formal complaint, reports ESPN.com’s Jordan Raanan, but the NFL decided to launch their own investigation.
“Start off by talking about the walkie-talkie incident in the game,” McAdoo said on Friday (via Raanan). “We’ve touched base with the league, we’re working through it right now. I don’t have anything to add, but we are working with the league on the incident.”
This specific violation is a bit unprecedented. In 2015, former Browns general manager Ray Farmer was suspended four games for sending text messages to the coaching staff during games. Meanwhile, the Falcons were fined $350K and lost a fifth-round pick for a similar violation.
Four Teams Tried To Claim RB Darius Jackson
When the Cowboys released Darius Jackson, the league took notice. The Browns, of course, used their top waiver priority to snag the rookie running back, but they weren’t the only team to put a claim in on him. The Eagles, Giants, and 49ers all tried to snag Jackson off waivers, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). 
The Giants have had issues in the backfield all season long and there’s a lot of uncertainty about the position headed into next season. Rashad Jennings was initially brought to New York with the idea that he would be the team’s workhorse in the backfield. Instead, he has struggled to stay on the field thanks to various injuries. There has been talk about Paul Perkins, but he hasn’t gotten a lot of opportunities this year and he hasn’t done much with the few chances given to him. Bobby Rainey has been used as an effective pass-catching weapon and blocker, but he doesn’t have the makings of a No. 1 RB. Shane Vereen recently returned to action, but his status is up in the air after suffering a concussion. All in all, the Giants were curious to see what they could get out of Jackson and they were willing to either cut Rainey or carry five tailbacks to find out. Of course, given their record, the Giants faced long odds of landing Jackson.
While the 9-4 Giants are in line for a playoff spot, the 49ers and Eagles are pretty much playing with an eye on 2017. At 1-12, the Niners are No. 2 in waiver priority behind Cleveland. The Eagles, meanwhile, are no higher than seventh in the queue.
The Niners are currently carrying four running backs in Carlos Hyde, Shaun Draughn, DuJuan Harris, and Mike Davis. Davis, a 2015 fourth-round pick, may have been expendable given his lack of usage this season. In eight games this year, he has only 19 rushing attempts for 50 yards.
The Eagles are dealing with multiple injuries at running back. Recently, Wendell Smallwood was shut down for the year with a knee injury and Darren Sproles is in concussion protocol. If Sproles is unable to go against Baltimore this week, the team will start Ryan Mathews and use Kenjon Barner and the newly-promoted Byron Marshall in support. With a successful claim, Jackson could have slotted in as the team’s No. 4 RB with the Eagles attempting to sneak Marshall through waivers and back on to the practice squad.
Jim Thomas of the Post-Dispatch first reported that the Niners put in a waiver claim on Jackson.
Giants Work Out Three Running Backs
- The Giants worked out running backs Russell Hansbrough, Brandon Brown-Dukes and Julian Howsare on Wednesday, tweets ESPN’s Adam Caplan. Hansbrough ended up joining their practice squad.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 12/14/16
The latest practice squad moves from around the NFL:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: Marvin Hall Jr.
Atlanta Falcons
- Signed: CB Ryan White
- Cut: OL Kevin Graf
Buffalo Bills
- Signed OLB Greg Townsend Jr.
Chicago Bears
- Signed: LB Josh Shirley
Denver Broncos
- Signed: RB Zac Brooks
- Cut: RB Terrell Watson
Houston Texans
- Signed: T Laurence Gibson, WR Tevin Jones
New York Giants
- Signed: RB Russell Hansbrough
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed: FB Austin Johnson
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 12/13/16
Today’s practice squad moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: LB Reshard Cliett
Carolina Panthers
- Signed: OL Blaine Clausell
Cleveland Browns
- Signed: WR Mario Alford
Indianpolis Colts
- Signed: T Pierce Burton
Minnesota Vikings
- Signed: TE Kyle Carter, T Marquis Lucas
New Orleans Saints
- Signed: DT Justin Zimmer
New York Giants
- Signed: OL Adam Gettis
- Cut: OL Laurence Gibson, RB George Winn
Philadelphia Eagles
- Signed: TE Anthony Denham
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed: LB Shaquille Riddick
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed: OT Mitchell Van Dyk
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: RB David Fluellen
Washington Redskins
- Signed: DL A.J. Francis, DB Shakiel Randolph
- Cut: DL Trevon Coley, DB Lee Hightower
Giants Activate Shane Vereen
12:05pm: The Giants have officially activated Vereen. To make room on the roster, the team has released offensive lineman Adam Gettis.
The 28-year-old played in three games for the Giants this season, including a start during the team’s Week 12 win over the Browns. Gettis could land back on the practice squad, where he has spent the majority of the season.
10:44am: The Giants should see the return of an offensive weapon for this weekend’s matchup against the Cowboys. According to NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo (via Twitter), the Giants are expected to activate running back Shane Vereen from the injured reserve.
Vereen returned to practice in late November after having injured his triceps during the Giants’ Week 3 loss to the Redskins. Vereen was subsequently placed on the injured reserve, and initial thought was that the 27-year-old would be out for the season. Up to that point, Vereen had rushed for 147 yards and one touchdown on 31 carries, and he added another eight receptions for 75 yards. Following four seasons with the Patriots, the speedy running back joined the Giants prior to the 2015 season, and he finished his first season in New York with 59 receptions for 495 yards and four scores.
During Vereen’s absence, the Giants have leaned on Bobby Rainey as their top reserve pass-catching back. Rainey, starter Rashad Jennings, and Paul Perkins have combined for 58 receptions, 483 receiving yards, and one touchdown reception this season. For what it’s worth, the Giants running backs have compiled the second-fewest rushing yards (930) and the second-fewest rushing touchdowns (five) in 2016. Vereen’s production mostly comes through the air, but his career 4.3-yards per rushing attempt is significantly higher than Perkins’ team-leading 3.7-yards per attempt.
In other Giants injury news, ESPN’s Jordan Raanan tweets that starting left guard Justin Pugh will not be returning to the lineup for tomorrow’s game. The lineman hasn’t played since spraining his MCL during the team’s Week 9 win over the Eagles. Marshall Newhouse and Brett Jones have seen the majority of the left guard snaps in Pugh’s absence.
Justin Pugh Close To Giants Return
- The Giants could finally be getting Justin Pugh back in the lineup. When asked about returning to action, the left guard said that he is preparing as though he will suit up this week, Paul Schwartz of the New York Post writes. The interior lineman has been out with a sprained MCL since Nov. 6.