Giants To Re-Sign OL Joshua Ezeudu
Evan Neal did not impress on his rookie contract, but the Giants are giving the former first-round offensive lineman another chance. New York’s new coaching staff is also circling back to another blocker from Joe Schoen‘s first draft class.
Joshua Ezeudu, despite missing the 2025 season, is following Neal in re-signing with the Giants, ESPN.com’s Jordan Raanan tweets. Big Blue drafted Ezeudu in the 2022 third round, and the John Harbaugh-led staff will give him another shot.
Injuries have been a problem for Ezeudu, whom the Giants placed on IR after setting their roster last August. New York gave the North Carolina alum a return designation but did not activate him before season’s end. Toe trouble has plagued Ezeudu, who missed all of the 2025 slate because of toe surgery. He went down with a season-ending toe injury in 2023 and suffered a neck injury to wrap his 2022 rookie season.
Starting 10 career games, Ezeudu has seen time at guard and tackle. The Giants used him as an Andrew Thomas left tackle fill-in during the 2023 season, though he struggled in the role and soon saw the first toe matter remove him from the equation. The Giants had expected Ezeudu to beat out Ben Bredeson for a starting guard job in 2023, but that proved to underestimate Bredeson — who later scored a nice Buccaneers payday. Ezeudu was working as the Giants’ swing tackle during the 2024 offseason.
After logging 289 rookie-year snaps at left guard, Ezeudu has primarily lined up at LT since. He has made 10 career starts. Given the fifth-year veteran’s issues staying healthy, it would surprise if this deal surpassed the vet minimum by much (Neal did not receive any guaranteed money on a one-year, $1.2MM deal, according to The Athletic’s Dan Duggan). The Giants, however, have not beefed up their O-line in free agency.
LG Jon Runyan Jr., a rumored cut candidate, remains on the roster. The team dropped out of the bidding for Alijah Vera-Tucker and also stood down on rumored target Wyatt Teller, who joined the Texans today. Although the team re-signed RT Jermaine Eluemunor, two-year RG Greg Van Roten‘s free agency points to a starter-level guard investment at some point. But Neal and Ezeudu should be in the mix for swing roles, carrying potential upside for more, as the offseason program nears.
In other Giants contract news, fullback Patrick Ricard‘s two-year, $7.64MM deal includes $3.54MM guaranteed at signing (per KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson). Two other ex-Ravens following Harbaugh to the Big Apple — safety Ar’Darius Washington and punter Jordan Stout — joined the team on three- and one-year deals, respectively. Washington’s one-year, $3MM pact includes $1.5MM guaranteed at signing, The Athletic’s Dan Duggan tweets. Stout’s $12.3MM accord makes him the NFL’s highest-paid punter (at $4.1MM AAV). The 2025 All-Pro will receive $6.32MM fully guaranteed, per Wilson.
Micah McFadden secured $2.9MM fully guaranteed, per Wilson, on his second Giants contract (one year, $3.75MM), while Duggan adds Jason Sanders joined the Giants on a one-year, $1.43MM deal with a $300K guarantee. That is considerably less than the team gave injury-prone kicker Graham Gano in 2023.
Giants To Sign DB Ar’Darius Washington
When John Harbaugh arrived in New York after being fired by the Ravens, he quickly brought many of his staffers with him. Those moves created an expectation that the Giants would pursue Harbaugh’s former players in free agency, and that has indeed been the case.
The latest is defensive back Ar’Darius Washington, who spent the first four years of his career in Baltimore. He is expected to sign a one-year, $3MM contract with the Giants, per SNY’s Connor Hughes.
The former TCU standout went undrafted in 2021 due to his 5-foot-9 frame, but made the Ravens’ 53-man roster later that summer. Injury concerns proved to be an issue, as Washington only appeared in eight games in his first three seasons with long absences due to foot and chest injuries. The 26-year-old broke into the starting lineup in 2024 as part of Baltimore’s midseason secondary switch-up. Marcus Williams and Eddie Jackson were benched, and Washington joined Kyle Hamilton to stablize the back end of the defense.
Washington’s success built hype for his follow-up campaign in 2025. He was expected to reprise his starting role even after the Ravens drafted Malaki Starks in the first-round, with Hamilton set to return to a nickel/star role closer to the line of scrimmage. But a torn Achilles during offseason training altered those plans. Washington still made an impressive recovery and made his season debut just seven months after his injury, but he played just 61 snaps in his four appearances.
The Giants’ offer is appropriate given Washington’s injury history. He will serve as the team’s third safety behind Tyler Nubin and Jevon Holland and will likely take on some duties in the slot, too. Washington could thrive in those roles in the defense of Dennard Wilson – his onetime secondary coach in Baltimore – but only if he can stay healthy.
Giants Interested In John Franklin-Myers, Wyatt Teller; Jermaine Eluemunor Open To Staying
A Giants roster-reshaping effort under John Harbaugh is coming soon. In addition to having renewed interest — at least, compared to where they were when letting Saquon Barkley walk two years ago — in running backs, the Giants have some high-profile linemen on their radar.
The team is interested in bringing in veteran guard Wyatt Teller, according to ESPN.com’s Jordan Raanan. Other guards are on New York’s radar as well, with Raanan mentioning Alijah Vera-Tucker and Dylan Parham here. The Giants have been linked to cutting left guard Jon Runyan Jr., and two-year RG stopgap Greg Van Roten is unsigned.
PFR ranked all three guards among the top 50 free agents, though none of these options are bank-breaking candidates. Teller will turn 32 later this year and has missed a handful of games due to injuries in each of the past two seasons. I mentioned Teller as a Giants candidate in our Offseason Outlook offering due largely to the team having hired 2025 Browns O-line coach Mike Bloomgren. Teller is a two-time All-Pro who was part of a few high-end Bill Callahan O-lines; he is not expected back with the Browns for an eighth season.
Vera-Tucker is coming off yet another season-ending injury; he sustained a second triceps tear last September. Tearing both triceps during his time with the Jets, Vera-Tucker is also a quality performer when healthy. Pro Football Focus ranked him ninth among guards in 2024. Parham worked as a primary Raiders starter in each of his four seasons. With the Raiders changing coaching staffs yet again, Parham will be a candidate to move on.
The Giants also have a need at right tackle. They have spoken to Jermaine Eluemunor‘s camp about a second contract, after the 2024 UFA addition played out his $7MM-per-year deal, and Raanan adds the veteran RT is open to coming back. The sides have remained in contact as the legal tampering period (11am CT Monday) looms. Eluemunor, 31, is one of the top RT options available thanks largely to his pass protection. Eluemunor also has stayed healthier than the more accomplished Braden Smith, who has battled injuries in recent years.
Big Blue released James Hudson on Friday, ending a disappointing tenure that featured a bizarre penalty spree in Week 2 and a quick benching. The Giants will need to address that position. New York gave Hudson a two-year, $12MM deal in 2025 but was eyeing Morgan Moses as the preferred option to play behind Eluemunor and Andrew Thomas, per the New York Post’s Ryan Dunleavy. Moses, as it turned out, had starter work left after signing a three-year, $24MM Patriots deal.
Defensively, the Giants have some interest in John Franklin-Myers, Raanan adds. The former Jets starter played well for the Broncos (14.5 sacks in two seasons) and is viewed as by far the top interior D-line option on the market. A $20MM-per-year price tag has been floated for a soon-to-be 30-year-old player who was at $7.5MM AAV in Denver. With the Giants having Brian Burns and Dexter Lawrence on big-ticket deals, it might be a stretch for them to be the Franklin-Myers landing spot.
At safety, Raanan indicates Dane Belton is likely to depart as a free agent. He is poised to follow Julian Love and Xavier McKinney out the door at what has been a high-turnover position for the team. Ex-Harbaugh Ravens charge Ar’Darius Washington is a name to monitor in free agency, with Raanan adding Caleb Downs is on the team’s radar in the draft. Downs is widely expected to be one of the first players drafted, though safeties are almost never chosen in the top 10 (the Giants hold the No. 5 pick). The Ravens have received impact play from first-rounder Kyle Hamilton, and that organization has prioritized the position in the past.
Ravens Activate S Ar’Darius Washington, OLB Tavius Robinson to 53-Man Roster
The Ravens are getting some defensive reinforcements for the closing stretch of the regular season. Baltimore is activating veteran safety Ar’Darius Washington from the reserve/physically unable to perform list and third-year pass rusher Tavius Robinson from injured reserve. Both players held starting roles before being placed on their respective injured lists.
It was seven months ago, to the day, that Washington suffered an Achilles tear that was expected to hold him out for the entirety of the 2025 NFL season. A former undrafted free agent out of TCU, Washington started out as a strong special teamer and a role player on defense. When Baltimore’s defense was struggling throughout defensive coordinator Zach Orr‘s first season, the team jettisoned veterans Marcus Williams and Eddie Jackson and placed Washington as a starter next to star Kyle Hamilton.
With Washington and Hamilton manning the defensive outfield, the Ravens defense rebounded, becoming one of the league’s strongest in the back half of the season. Shortly after suffering the offseason injury, Washington made a late-season return the target of his recovery. By arriving with four weeks left in the regular season, he’s more than met that goal. In Washington’s shorter-than-expected absence, the Ravens have become accustomed to fielding a three-safety defense. At any one time, the team will usually have rookie first-rounder Malaki Starks and trade acquisition Alohi Gilman in the secondary as the versatile, All-Pro Hamilton roams to places of greatest need.
With so many assets in the secondary, the Ravens may slow-play Washington’s return to the field. Alternatively, they may attempt to utilize him in a similar role to Hamilton. In the past, they’ve moved Washington back and forth between nickel and safety, so he holds a versatility of his own that the team could easily utilize out of their talent-rich safeties room.
Robinson has missed the last eight weeks after suffering a broken foot. Logging two sacks in his first six games of the season, Robinson led the team in that statistic before landing on IR. The Ravens have attempted to make improvements to their pass rush this season, giving Robinson a starting job across from Kyle Van Noy, drafting Mike Green in the second round, and making two trades that saw Odafe Oweh sent to Los Angeles (in exchange for Gilman) and Dre’Mont Jones arrive in Baltimore.
It hasn’t amounted to much, considering the Ravens currently rank 30th in the league with only 19 sacks this season. They’ll hope that adding Robinson back to the fold will help in that regard. The Ravens have been working with 51 players on their active roster since placing running back Justice Hill and defensive tackle Taven Bryan on IR in late-November, so no corresponding moves were needed to activate Washington and Robinson.
Ravens Designate OLB Tavius Robinson, S Ar’Darius Washington To Return
The Ravens designated outside linebacker Tavius Robinson (injured reserve) and safety Ar’Darius Washington (non-football injury list) to return to practice on Tuesday.
Robinson broke his foot in Week 6 and was placed on IR shortly after. Washington suffered a torn Achilles during offseason training and has been on the non-football injury list since the start of training camp. The two defenders could provide a late-season boost to a Ravens defense that has turned things around after a rough start to the season.
Robinson, 26, started the first six games of the season and saw a substantial increase in playing time after Kyle Van Noy went down in Week 2. The Ravens were hoping the 2023 fourth-round pick would take a third-year leap after a promising campaign last season, but it has not quite materliazed. Robinson made a few highlight plays, including a strip-sack of then-Browns quarterback Joe Flacco in Week 2, but like the rest of Baltimore’s edge rushers, he struggled to make a consistent impact.
Robinson’s return will nonetheless give the Ravens another option off the edge. After trading Odafe Oweh in October, they have relied on 2022 second-rounder David Ojabo and veteran Carl Lawson to fill the back end of their outside linebacker rotation. Ojabo has not performed well, while Lawson held up but did not excel in his 2025 debut as a practice squad elevation in Week 13.
Washington tore his Achilles in May with the hope of returning late in the regular season. His return to practice puts him on track to hit that goal. His 21-day practice window will expire at the beginning of Week 17, by which time he must be activated or revert to season-ending IR.
The severity of Washington’s injury may require a lengthy ramp-up period, and the Ravens can ease him into action even after he’s activated. The team currently has three safeties playing nearly full-time, so Washington will not fill an immediate need. Instead, he will provide another versatile option with the ability to line up as a free safety and in the slot.
Ravens’ Ar’Darius Washington, Tavius Robinson Nearing Return
A May Achilles tear threatened to end Ar’Darius Washington‘s 2025 season well before it began. The Ravens defensive back has continued to make progress in his recovery, though, and another step could be coming soon.
When speaking to the media on Monday, head coach John Harbaugh said (via The Athletic’s Jeff Zrebiec) there is a “good chance” Washington will take part in practice this week. The 26-year-old landed on the reserve/PUP list during roster cutdowns, and he has remained there ever since.
Washington has aimed to play late in the season, and the latest update on his situation noted a return to practice was a distinct possibility. Provided the former UDFA can indeed suit up at some point in 2025, he will provide the Ravens with another option in the secondary. Washington emerged as a starter at the end of last season, notching 64 tackles, two interceptions and eight pass deflections.
Returnee Kyle Hamilton, first-round rookie Malaki Starks and trade acquisition Alohi Gilman are in place as safety contributors right now (although since Gilman’s arrival Baltimore has used Hamilton closer to the line of scrimmage). If he is activated, Washington would provide the Ravens with a special teams presence capable of rotating in at safety as well as slot corner. As a pending free agent, Washington seeing any game time down the stretch would provide a boost to his market value.
Harbaugh also said third-year edge rusher Tavius Robinson is a candidate to return to practice in the coming days. The 26-year-old has been on IR since suffering a broken foot, an injury which led to the first missed game action of his career. Once Robinson is activated, he will be expected to return to a starting defensive role and in doing so provide the Ravens with a much-needed boost along the edge.
In other injury news, Harbaugh said running back Justice Hill – who landed on IR just before the Ravens’ Thanksgiving game – will be recovering from his neck injury over the next three to four weeks (h/t Zrebiec). A return in time for the postseason could be in store as a result. Meanwhile, undrafted rookie linebacker Chandler Martin recently suffered an ACL tear, so he will undergo season-ending surgery soon. Martin made three appearance on special teams in 2025.
Ravens Altering Lamar Jackson’s Weekly Prep After Injuries
After a four-week absence earlier in the year, Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson came back to salvage a 1-5 start to the year, building momentum off of a Tyler Huntley win over the Bears to continue what would become a five-game win streak that brought them up to 6-5 and first place in the AFC North. Despite the team success, there have been questions about whether or not Jackson is back to full health, and a look at his practice participation may provide clues to the answers. 
It was a hamstring injury that held Jackson out for three games. He was able to get three practices in before his Thursday night return in Miami, and he got a full week of practices in for the trip to Minnesota right after. But, following the win over the Vikings, Jackson missed the team’s first practice of the week with a knee injury before fully participating for the rest of the week before the Cleveland game. Last week, we saw Jackson sit out on Wednesday, again, this time with an ankle injury, before, again, practicing fully leading up to the matchup against the Jets.
Early Sunday morning, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported that, after doing this rest pattern over the past few weeks, Baltimore was considering intentionally resting Jackson every Wednesday, in order to keep him fresh for games. True to the reporting, with the Ravens having an altered practice schedule this week due to a Thanksgiving Day assignment, Jackson sat out of Monday’s practice, per ESPN’s Jamison Hensley, and returned to the field on Tuesday, mirroring the recently adopted routine. According to Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic, this absence was designated as a toe injury, after Jackson reportedly hurt the appendage at the start of the Jets game.
While Baltimore is calling it rest, reporters, opponents, and more are openly wondering if Jackson isn’t still actually dealing with something. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler was one such member of the media who speculated that, having played through knee, ankle, hamstring, and toe issues so far this year, Jackson’s performance has been limited since coming back.
In the four games Jackson’s played since returning from injury, he hasn’t rushed for more than 36 yards in a game. And after a strong passing performance at Miami (78.3 completion percentage, four touchdowns), he’s struggled to be efficient as a passer in the team’s last three victories, completing only 57.1 percent of his passes while only throwing one touchdown to two interceptions. It can’t quite be said that he doesn’t have the ability to escape from pass rushers or tuck the ball and break off a 15-yard run, because we’ve seen him do a bit of that recently, but he’s seemed to lack his trademark explosive speed making both his run and pass game suffer as a result. Jackson insists that injuries aren’t affected his play, but until he’s seen breaking off 40-yard scrambles, teams will likely have their doubts.
In other injury news for Baltimore, safety Ar’Darius Washington has started getting some pregame work in as he continues rehabilitation for his Achilles tendon. Zrebiec reports that Washington could see his practice window open soon. This would be big for a Ravens defense allowing the 12th-most passing yards in the NFL. Lining up next to All-Pro safety Kyle Hamilton last year, the two helped turn a historically bad Ravens defense into a top performing unit. The Ravens traded for Alohi Gilman early this year, as rookie first-round pick Malaki Starks experienced a bit of a learning curve to start his career, and adding Washington back to the fold would give Baltimore an insanely deep four-man rotation at the backend of their secondary.
Ravens Set Initial 53-Man Roster
Every year, the Ravens are one of the last teams to announce their roster moves to get down to 53 players. Finally, via a team press release, Baltimore’s initial 53-man roster is set with the following transactions:
Waived
- CB Jalyn Armour-Davis
- WR Jahmal Banks
- S Beau Brade
- WR Malik Cunningham
- G Darrian Dalcourt
- OL Garrett Dellinger
- OLB Malik Hamm
- S Desmond Igbinosun
- S Keondre Jackson
- DL Jayson Jones
- QB Devin Leary
- OT Gerad Lichtenhan
- ILB Chandler Martin
- TE Zaire Mitchell-Paden
- DL Adedayo Odeleye
- DL C.J. Okoye
- G Jared Penning
- DL C.J. Ravenell
- CB Marquise Robinson
- OLB Kaimon Rucker
- C Nick Samac
- FB Lucas Scott
- TE Scotty Washington
Released
- RB Myles Gaskin
- CB Thomas Graham Jr.
- RB D’Ernest Johnson
- WR Keith Kirkwood
- WR Anthony Miller
- DL Brent Urban
Waived with injury settlement
- WR Xavier Guillory
- LB William Kwenkeu
Placed on injured reserve (with return designation)
- OLB Adisa Isaac
- WR Dayton Wade
Placed on reserve/NFI
- OT Emery Jones
Placed on reserve/PUP
The Ravens opted to keep tight end Isaiah Likely on the 53-man roster after his recent foot surgery, indicating that the team expects him back in the first four weeks of the regular season.
Armour-Davis is Baltimore’s most surprising cut. The 2022 fourth-round pick struggled with injuries across the first few years of his career, but had a solid training camp. Baltimore opted to keep undrafted rookie Keyon Martin instead after an impressive showing in the preseason.
Brade, who made the 53-man roster as a UDFA last year, was beaten out by undrafted rookie Reuben Lowery for the Ravens’ fourth safety spot. Brade, a former University of Maryland standout, is expected to return to the practice squad if he clears waivers, per KRPC2’s Aaron Wilson.
Baltimore is also hoping to bring Lichtenhan, a 6-f0ot-8, 328-pound offensive tackle, back on their practice squad if he sneaks through waivers, according to FOX Sports’ Jordan Schultz.
Urban will likely re-sign to the Ravens practice squad on Wednesday in a handshake deal after being cut from the active roster.
Isaac and Wade suffered injuries late in training camp and will have to spend the first four weeks of the season on injured reserve. Isaac’s IR placement cleared a spot for David Ojabo to make the roster despite appearing to be on the bubble in the preseason.
Jones has been dealing with a mysterious shoulder injury that required surgery earlier this year. He has yet to hit the practice field as a Raven and will be sidelined for at least four more weeks to start the season.
Minor NFL Transactions: 7/17/25
Today’s minor moves:
Baltimore Ravens
- Placed on active/PUP: S Ar’Darius Washington
Detroit Lions
- Placed on active/PUP: OT Taylor Decker, CB Khalil Dorsey, OG Miles Frazier, DL Alim McNeill, LB Malcolm Rodriguez, DL Mekhi Wingo
- Placed on active/NFI: DL Josh Paschal, CB Stantley Thomas-Oliver
- Waived-injured: RB Anthony Tyus
Los Angeles Chargers
- Signed: OT Ryan Nelson
Seattle Seahawks
- Placed on active/PUP: LB Uchenna Nwosu
Ravens S Ar’Darius Washington Aiming For Late-Season Return
Ar’Darius Washington‘s availability for the 2025 campaign was dealt a major blow recently when he suffered an Achilles tear. The four-year Ravens safety aims to be able to play at some point this season, though.
When speaking to the media on Wednesday, head coach John Harbaugh said (via The Athletic’s Jeff Zrebiec) Washington suffered a clean Achilles tear. Surgery has already taken place, and the lengthy rehab process associated with the injury has begun as a result. Harbaugh added that Washington hopes to return to action in November or December.
Given the nature of Achilles tears and their associated recovery timelines, it would come as little surprise if the former UDFA were to be sidelined for the entire campaign. Getting Washington back in any capacity in time for the stretch run and/or the postseason would of course be a welcomed development for the Ravens. Midway through the 2024 season, adjustments on defense resulted in him taking on a full-time starting role.
Taking over from Marcus Williams, Washington appeared in every game last year and made 11 total starts. His 727 regular season snaps on defense came after he totaled just 145 over the course of his first three years in the league. The 25-year-old helped stabilize a struggling Baltimore pass defense when on the field, recording a pair of interceptions and eight pass deflections. Washington was retained via an RFA tender this offseason.
That move set him up to remain a key member of the Ravens’ secondary for one more year before landing a notable deal on the open market next spring. Instead, much of the coming campaign will be focused on rehabbing his injury; any playing time in 2025 would obviously help to rebuild his free agent value to an extent. At least a rotational role should be in store whenever the TCU product is back to full health.
The Ravens still have All-Pro Kyle Hamilton in place at the safety spot, but veteran Eddie Jackson was released midway through last season and Williams was cut in March. Those moves, while expected, created a notable vacancy at the position in advance of the draft. The team’s first pick was used on Malaki Starks, and the Georgia product is in line to operate as a starter right away with Washington set to miss at least some of the 2025 season. If the latter can return as he hopes, though, Baltimore’s defense will receive a boost during the winter.