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.
Pollard Alliance Releases HC Candidates List
The Fritz Pollard Alliance Foundation typically releases its list of recommended minority head coaching candidates in January. This year, we have an early preview of the list, courtesy of Tom Pelissero of USA Today. This year’s suggested candidates will include Lions defensive coordinator Teryl Austin, Bills offensive coordinator Anthony Lynn, Cardinals OC Harold Goodwin, and Vikings DC George Edwards. 
Austin was a popular candidate for coaching vacancies last year but ultimately did not find a head coaching gig. After interviewing with the Browns, Dolphins, Giants, and Eagles, Austin indicated that he felt only two of the interviews were “legitimate” while the other two were only done to satisfy the Rooney Rule, which stipulates that a minority candidate must be interviewed for every job. Since the Browns hired a black coach in Hue Jackson, Austin presumably isn’t accusing Cleveland of interviewing him to fulfill the requirement.
The Bills installed Lynn as their OC in September after ousting Greg Roman. The Bills have been up-and-down this year, but they now stand at 6-6 despite injuries to key players. Lynn has had to run the Bills’ offense without star wide receiver Sammy Watkins for much of the year and teams will certainly take notice of his capable job despite the less-than-ideal circumstances.
Goodwin has made no secret of his desire to land a head coaching job. However, there are some factors working against him. First, the Cardinals offense has struggled this season. Secondly, despite rave reviews from those around him, Goodwin does not call the plays in Arizona, and that could deter interested teams.
Edwards was placed on the Pollard list for the first time last year and he returns this season. Like Goodwin, he does not call plays for his team despite the coordinator title. However, he comes with a strong recommendation from head coach Mike Zimmer and he did call the plays against the Cowboys when Zimmer was recovering from surgery. With Edwards at the wheel, the Vikings allowed just 17 points against one of the league’s most electric offenses.
The foundation also released a list of general manager candidates including Giants VP of player evaluation Marc Ross, Raiders director of player personnel Joey Clinkscales, former Lions GM and current Giants exec Martin Mayhew, and Eagles director of college scouting Trey Brown.
Giants’ Jason Pierre-Paul Has Groin Surgery
Jason Pierre-Paul had sports hernia surgery and groin repair, a source tells Tom Pelissero of USA Today Sports (on Twitter). He’ll be out for a minimum of six weeks. That means he would be out for the first round of the playoffs and possibly the second as well. The recovery time frame is 6-8 weeks, so a playoff return isn’t even guaranteed, Ralph Vacchiano of SNY tweets.
JPP has been the Giants’ premier pass rusher this year and he’ll be sorely missed as the team makes its playoff push. Currently, the Giants sit at 8-4 and project to have the first Wild Card spot in the NFC. With the Buccaneers (7-5), Redskins (6-5-1), Vikings (6-6), and Packers (6-6) on their heels, the Giants can’t afford to slip up over the final month of the season. The Giants take on the Cowboys, Lions, and Eagles before what could be a pivotal regular season-finale against the Redskins in Week 17.
Pierre-Paul is in the midst of one of his best NFL seasons. Through 12 games, Pro Football Focus has him ranked as the seventh-best defensive end in the league.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 12/6/2016
Today’s practice squad moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: P Matt Wile
- Cut: LB Reshard Cliett
Baltimore Ravens
- Signed: RB Stephen Houston
Clevleand Browns
- Signed: S Justin Currie
New Orleans Saints
- Cut: LB Lamar Louis
New York Giants
- Signed: DE Jordan Williams
New York Jets
- Signed: WR Darius Jennings
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: DT Shaniel Jenkins
- Cut: WR Kevin Smith
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed: WR Bernard Reedy
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: LB J.R. Tavai
Giants’ Jason Pierre-Paul Has Groin Injury
Giants defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul is in Philadelphia today to see surgeon/sports hernia specialist William Meyers regarding his groin injury, sources tell Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (Twitter links). However, Pierre-Paul’s visit to Meyers doesn’t necessarily mean surgery. 
JPP is in the midst of a great year and losing him in the home stretch of the season would be a tough blow for the 8-4 Giants. The 27-year-old (28 in January), has 53 tackles, seven sacks, and three forced fumbles on the year. According to Pro Football Focus, Pierre-Paul has been the seventh-best edge defender in the NFL this year, putting him ahead of Chandler Jones, Cameron Wake, James Harrison, and high-priced teammate Olivier Vernon. Not long ago, JPP’s future with the Giants was in question after his fireworks accident. Now, he’s a likely candidate for the franchise tag in the offseason.
Next up for the Giants is a Sunday showdown at home against the NFC-leading Cowboys. After that, they close out the year against the Lions, Eagles, and Redskins.
NFL Spending By Team Over Last Four Seasons
The NFLPA has released the official data on team spending over the last four seasons. The Collective Bargaining Agreement stipulates that each team must utilize 89% of the salary cap over two four-year periods, 2013-16 and 2017-20. As previously reported, the Raiders are the only team that has yet to satisfy that requirement for the closing period. The CBA also requires the league, as a whole, to spend 95% of the cap, in cash, for the same period. That requirement has been easily met.
Here is the full rundown of every team’s spending in declining order:
Philadelphia Eagles – $613,928,134
Denver Broncos – $587,712,791
Seattle Seahawks – $584,305,975
Green Bay Packers – $583,138,740
Miami Dolphins – $577,975,260
Kansas City Chiefs – $575,541,332
Buffalo Bills – $573,647,850
Chicago Bears – $568,301,610
Cincinnati Bengals – $567,289,411
Baltimore Ravens – $562,425,698
San Diego Chargers – $562,232,116
Indianapolis Colts – $556,335,689
Atlanta Falcons – $550,614,572
New York Giants – $543,787,033
Arizona Cardinals – $543,327,538
Los Angeles Rams – $541,957,711
New Orleans Saints – $539,836,498
Tampa Bay Buccaneers – $539,736,102
Minnesota Vikings – $539,162,454
New York Jets – $533,151,519
Washington Redskins – $532,545,662
Pittsburgh Steelers – $530,698,171
Detroit Lions – $530,210,549
Tennessee Titans – $524,505,256
Dallas Cowboys – $523,033,036
Houston Texans – $517,212,166
Jacksonville Jaguars – $516,908,734
Cleveland Browns – $516,158,864
San Francisco 49ers – $514,488,198
New England Patriots – $500,083,836
Carolina Panthers – $495,149,346
Oakland Raiders – $491,433,408
Giants Bring LB Skinner Back Onto Roster
- The Giants have signed linebacker Deontae Skinner to the active roster and waived center Shane McDermott, reports James Kratch of NJ.com (via Twitter). This is a flip-flop from the maneuver the Giants made last weekend, indicating some improved health for their offensive front.
Fitzgerald: JPP Should Make More Than Vernon
Who will be the top unrestricted free agents this offseason? Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap.com throws out several names that may not be tagged by their current teams (via Twitter): Cardinals linebacker Chandler Jones, Rams cornerback Trumaine Johnson, Panthers defensive tackle Kawann Short, Giants defensive tackle Johnathan Hankins, and Bills cornerback Stephon Gilmore.
- The Giants signed defensive end Olivier Vernon to a five-year, $85MM deal back in March, and Fitzgerald believes teammate Jason Pierre-Paul is likely to make even more money when he reaches free agency this winter. Ultimately, Fitzgerald predicts that the organization will franchise their star defender.
Giants Work Out Group Of Safeties
The Giants auditioned safeties Cedric Thompson, Duke Thomas, Ryan Murphy, and Trae Elston today, a source tells Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com.
[RELATED: New York Giants Depth Chart]
New York is on the lookout for defensive back depth given that top reserve Nat Berhe suffered a concussion during Sunday’s win over the Browns. At present, the club only has two other two true safeties left on the roster in the forms of starters Landon Collins and Andrew Adams. The Giants are so depleted in the secondary, in fact, that the current backups at safety are cornerback Leon Hall and linebacker Eric Pinkins.
A concussion caused Berhe to miss three games earlier this season, so it’s possible that his most recent brain injury could force him to be sidelined for even longer. None of the options worked out by the Giants today have any NFL experience, however, so they may not be able to help immediately. New York doesn’t have any safeties on its practice squad — the only defensive back on the taxi squad is Michael Hunter, a natural cornerback.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 11/30/16
Today’s practice squad moves:
Buffalo Bills
- Signed: G Isame Faciane
Detroit Lions
- Signed: LB Brandon Chubb
New York Giants
- Signed: S Christian Bryant
New York Jets
- Signed: T Donald Hawkins
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: RB Kelvin Taylor
Washington Redskins
- Signed: DL Trevon Coley