Ben Bredeson

Buccaneers To Sign OL Ben Bredeson, CB Bryce Hall

Two former New York residents are heading to Tampa to compete for Buccaneers jobs. The Bucs are signing offensive lineman Ben Bredeson and cornerback Bryce Hall, according to Pewter Report and Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times, respectively.

Bredeson spent last season as a full-time Giants starter at guard, while Hall is a former Jets starter who also played out his rookie contract in New York. Bredeson is joining the Bucs on a one-year deal worth up to $3.5MM, per NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo.

Amid an injury-ravaged season on the offensive line, the Giants relied on Bredeson as a 16-game starter. The Giants put Bredeson — a 2020 Ravens draftee acquired in a trade a year later — in competition for guard and center spots last summer. As expected, second-round pick John Michael Schmitz won the center job. But Bredeson was in place at guard as turnover occurred across Big Blue’s front.

As could be expected on a line that gave up the second-most sacks (83) since the league began charting them in the early 1960s, Bredson graded poorly in 2023. Pro Football Focus viewed the Michigan alum as one of the NFL’s worst guard regulars last season. He has 25 starts on his resume, however. The Bucs have not re-signed guards Matt Feiler or Aaron Stinnie — during an offseason that featured higher-priority player-retention tasks — opening the door for Bredeson to compete for a starting job or settle in as a swing backup.

The Jets chose Hall in the 2020 fifth round and used him as a starter in 26 games. Twenty-four of those came over Hall’s first two years, as the Jets refrained from investing in corners. That changed in 2022, via the D.J. Reed signing and Sauce Gardner draft pick, relegating Hall to a bench role. Hall did return a fumble for a touchdown last season but only played 138 defensive snaps.

The Bucs traded Carlton Davis to the Lions this week. While Hall could conceivably be thrown into a competition to replace the veteran cover man, it seems likely the Bucs will bring in a higher-profile option as the favorite to start opposite Jamel Dean.

Saquon Barkley Suffers Ankle Sprain; Giants RB Facing Multi-Week Absence

SEPTEMBER 21: While previous reports indicated the contrary, Barkley confirmed tonight that he did indeed suffer a high ankle sprain, per Thursday Night Football’s Taylor Rooks (h/t Pat Leonard of New York Daily News).

The running back admitted that his injury isn’t as serious as it could have been, and he said that his absence from tonight’s game was more due to pain tolerance. Barkley also pointed out that New York’s next game is in 11 days, so he’ll have some extra time to get right before Week 4. While Barkley wouldn’t guarantee only a one-game absence, it certainly sounds like he’s leaving that door open.

SEPTEMBER 20: Although Brian Daboll stopped short of ruling out Barkley earlier this week, the Giants have done so Wednesday. Barkley will at least miss one 49ers game, but Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com confirms the sixth-year veteran is not battling a high ankle sprain. That stands to shorten his time away.

The Giants will also be without Andrew Thomas for a second straight game, and left guard Ben Bredeson‘s concussion will keep him out of Big Blue’s Thursday-night tilt. Outside linebacker Azeez Ojulari will also be down for the Giants.

SEPTEMBER 18: Saquon Barkley was sidelined for the final offensive play of the Giants’ Week 2 comeback victory, and it was feared after the game he would be dealing with a serious ankle injury. The worst-case scenario has been avoided, but he is nevertheless set to miss time.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports that an MRI revealed an “ordinary” ankle sprain for the Pro Bowl back. As a result, Barkley is expected to miss roughly three weeks. At a minimum, that will keep him sidelined for the team’s upcoming Thursday night contest against the 49ers.

Barkley played all but one snap in New York’s surprise win against the Cardinals, proving his importance to the team’s offense. Given his heavy workload, replacing him will be a tall order for the Giants as they look to rebound from the struggles suffered in the first six quarters of their season. That task will fall to Matt Breida, Gary Brightwell and Eric Gray.

After initially representing the team’s higher priority with respect to a long-term extension, Barkley saw quarterback Daniel Jones ink a four-year, $160MM pact in March. That allowed the Giants to use the franchise tag on the former No. 2 pick, though extension talks continued through to the deadline for players hit with the one-year tender. No deal materialized, with Barkley turning down offers which increased in AAV at the expense of guarantees.

In the end, a training camp holdout was avoided with the parties agreeing to a small incentive package which allows Barkley’s 2023 compensation to max out at $11MM. Individual statistical performances, along with team success, is required for his earnings to reach the maximum value, though, so any missed time is signficant from a financial outlook.

With Barkley unavailable for the time being, the Giants’ ground game will look much different. He leads the team in rushing yards with 114, putting him slightly ahead of Jones. Breida and Brightwell have combined for 19 yards on four carries, but an increased role for at least one of them will be necessary moving forward. An IR stint for Barkley is unlikely given his recovery timeline, but New York will no doubt proceed with caution with the 26-year-old given his status as an offensive focal point.

Giants Holding Competitions At All Three Interior O-Line Spots

Making two top-10 picks at tackle over the past four years, the Giants have no questions at those positions. They also used a second-round choice on center John Michael Schmitz, and while the Minnesota product is a decent bet to begin his career as a starter, the Giants are not ensuring that route will open up just yet.

More notably, 2022 free agency addition Mark Glowinski does not appear a lock to keep his job, Ryan Dunleavy of the New York Post tweets. Swingman Ben Bredeson, who is also in contention for left guard, has mixed in regularly with the first team on the right side, with The Athletic’s Dan Duggan and Charlotte Carroll most recently noting Bredeson’s first-team RG usage (subscription required).

A 2021 trade acquisition from the Ravens, Bredeson has mixed in at all three spots along the Giants’ interior during training camp. He appears the top Schmitz competitor at center, while having begun recent practices (via Duggan) as the first-string left guard. Bredeson mixed in with Glowinski at right guard and 2022 third-round pick Joshua Ezeudu on the left side Tuesday. The former fourth-round pick is going into a contract year.

Bredeson being used at all three spots suggests the Giants have a potential swing role in mind, with Ezeudu also seeing steady first-unit time at left guard. Seeing the Joe Schoen-era Day 2 draftee seize the LG job alongside fellow Schoen pickups Schmitz and Glowinski would probably be the scenario the Giants prefer. Bredeson started eight games last season, playing a career-high 541 offensive snaps. The Giants lost center Jon Feliciano and guard/center Nick Gates in free agency; Bredeson would supply experience and represent insurance alongside Ezeudu (290 rookie-year snaps) and Schmitz.

Glowinski, 31, signed a three-year, $18.3MM deal that came with $11.4MM guaranteed. The longtime Colts starter gave the Giants 16 starts at right guard last season, as a rotation formed at the other guard post. Pro Football Focus graded Glowinski as last year’s No. 29 overall guard. It would be rather odd to see Glowinski benched, but the Giants are going through several options up front. Tyre Phillips, a 2022 waiver claim from the Ravens, has also taken first-team reps at left guard, Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com tweets.

This batch of blockers looks to have relegated Shane Lemieux to the roster bubble, Duggan adds. The fourth-year lineman has not been among the competitors for the Giants’ LG job. Lemieux has battled significant injury problems over the past two years, seeing a September 2021 patellar tendon tear keep him off the field until November 2022. A toe injury then limited Lemieux to one game all season. With the Giants activating former fifth-rounder Marcus McKethan from the active/PUP list Monday — after an August 2022 ACL tear — Lemieux will need to fight for a job during this year’s preseason. While Lemieux has mixed in as a backup center as well, Jack Anderson is also on the radar for that post.

The Giants chose Schmitz at No. 56 overall, viewing him as the better option compared to consideration Jalin Hyatt, whom they circled back to in Round 3. Just before the Schmitz pick, Brian Daboll said the All-Big Ten blocker could start in Week 1. Schmitz received every first-team center rep Tuesday, per Duggan and Carroll. It would surprise if he were not Big Blue’s starting pivot to open the season.

Latest On Giants’ Offensive Line

The Giants selecting John Michael Schmitz in Round 2, making the Minnesota product the first pure center drafted this year, points to four positions along their offensive line being solidified. Schmitz earning the starting snapper gig would mean he accompanies Andrew Thomas, Evan Neal and Mark Glowinski on New York’s O-line.

With Glowinski stationed at right guard, left guard would seem the unit’s only question. That is, if Brian Daboll‘s draft-weekend assessment of Schmitz’s instant-starter capabilities turns out to be accurate. But the Giants are sending veteran Ben Bredeson into two position competitions, per the New York Post’s Ryan Dunleavy.

The 2021 trade acquisition is vying for both the left guard and center positions, with Dunleavy adding the ex-Raven should probably be considered the favorite at the LG spot. The Giants used a rotation at that position last season, platooning Bredeson and Nick Gates. Washington signed Gates in free agency, clearing a path for Bredeson to earn the job outright in a contract year. Bredeson is going against fellow contract-year blocker Shane Lemieux and 2022 third-round pick Joshua Ezeudu, per Dunleavy.

Lemieux held a starting job during the second half of the 2020 season, replacing Will Hernandez and taking over after the former starter recovered, but suffered a patellar tendon tear in September 2021. That career-stalling injury delayed Lemieux’s return until late November of last year, and the former fifth-round pick only suited up for one game last season. A toe injury added to Lemieux’s early-career health issues. Ezeudu, one of two ex-North Carolina guards the Giants drafted last year (along with fifth-rounder Marcus McKethan), played 290 offensive snaps as a rookie.

Pro Football Focus graded Glowinski, a longtime Colts starter, as a top-30 guard last season. It slotted Bredeson as the best of the rest, ranking him just outside the top 50. Bredson, a former fourth-round pick, has played guard more than center and should probably be considered a long shot to beat out Schmitz at the latter spot. With Bredeson, Lemieux, Ezeudu and McKethan rostered, along with ex-Steelers center J.C. Hassenauer and 2022 second-stringer Jack Anderson, the Giants will have some decisions to make when setting their final 53. McKethan did not play last year, suffering an ACL tear during the preseason.

None of these interior blockers is in the mix to be the team’s top tackle off the bench, with Matt Peart, Korey Cunningham and Tyre Phillips are battling for the swing gig behind Thomas and Neal. Phillips, claimed off waivers from the Ravens last year, made five starts in 2022 but worked behind the other two to start OTAs. Peart and Cunningham each have six career starts, though neither has seen much time since their respective rookie years. An outside addition to work behind Thomas and Neal should not be ruled out, per Dunleavy.

These O-line competitions will not heat up until training camp, obviously, as pads do not come on until August. Despite losing Gates and 2022 center starter Jon Feliciano in free agency, the Giants have a few options along their offensive front.

Minor NFL Transactions: 12/17/22

Today’s minor moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Dallas Cowboys

  • Promoted: C Brock Hoffman

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Los Angeles Chargers

Los Angeles Rams

Miami Dolphins

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Washington Commanders

Giants Designate Ben Bredeson, Azeez Ojulari, Tony Jefferson For Return

The Giants were one of the surprise stories of the NFL during the early portion of the season, but the team has become increasingly hampered by injuries on both sides of the ball lately. New York will soon be receiving reinforcements, however, as the team has designated three players for return from IR.

Left guard Ben Bredeson is among the trio, something which will soon give the Giants another starting option up front. The former fourth-rounder was not projected to be a first-teamer to begin the campaign, but an injury to Shane Lemieux changed those plans. Bredeson played in a rotation with rookie Joshua Ezeudu through the first two games of the season, but then operated as a full-time starter before landing on IR last month. His return may not need to be rushed, given the fact that Lemieux has since been activated.

Edge rusher Azeez Ojulari could provide the Giants with depth at the position if he is able to remain healthy. The 2021 second-rounder impressed as a rookie with a team-leading eight sacks, but has hardly played this year. Ojulari spent time on the NFI list in the summer due to a calf injury, but was not placed on IR right away with the team hoping he could suit up at some point in September. That was the case, as the Georgia product played in Weeks 3 and 4, but a reaggravation of the previous ailment has kept him sidelined ever since. If he can regain his form from last season and serve as a bookend to rookie Kayvon Thibodeaux, New York’s pass rush could receive a considerable boost.

Lastly, veteran safety Tony Jefferson‘s practice window has been opened. The 30-year-old has only played three games in 2022, after following Giants defensive coordinator Don Martindale from Baltimore to the Big Apple. The Giants are dealing with starter Xavier McKinney currently on the shelf due to an ATV accident earlier this month. That could leave defensive snaps available for Jefferson upon his return, especially if the team opts to use more three-safety packages amidst their injuries at cornerback.

Each player now has a three-week time period within which they must be activated to be eligible to play again in 2022. If all three are brought back, the Giants will have used up each of their remaining activations for the season, but they will also have at least rotational contributors in place for the stretch run.

Giants Activate OLB Elerson Smith, Place OL Ben Bredeson On IR

The Giants have shuffled some players onto and off of the injured reserve list today, according to Aaron Wilson of Pro Football Network, activating second-year pass rusher Elerson Smith from IR and placing offensive lineman Ben Bredeson on IR.

Smith missed the first eight games of his rookie season, as well, while dealing with hamstring issues. In very limited defensive snaps when he returned, Smith only amassed eight total tackles but flashed some ability with a forced fumble and two quarterback hits. Near the end of his rookie season, Smith was placed on IR with a neck injury, but that wasn’t the issue heading into this season. This year a lower leg ailment has held Smith out of the first seven games of the year. He is set to make his season debut, subbing in behind Jihad Ward and Leonard Williams.

Bredeson has been a starting guard for the Giants this season after getting traded from the Ravens last year. Bredeson first got a taste of the starting offense last year when filling in for Nick Gates and was named the starting left guard to start the year after an injury to Shane Lemieux in the preseason. With Bredeson set to miss extended time, the Giants can turn to Gates, rookie third-round pick Joshua Ezeudu, or another former Raven in Tyre Phillips.

The Giants made two gameday elevations from the practice squad today, in addition to the IR moves. Veteran safety Landon Collins and converted tight end Lawrence Cager will be active for Sunday afternoon’s matchup with the Seahawks.

Giants To Activate Nick Gates From PUP List

More than a year after suffering a career-threatening injury, Nick Gates will be moved into position to play again. The former Giants starting center is set to be activated from the reserve/PUP list Wednesday, Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com reports.

In order for Gates to have a shot at playing this season, the Giants needed to make this move today. They designated Gates for return three weeks ago. Not activating him would have meant a full-season absence.

Gates, 26, missed almost all of last season because of a gruesome leg fracture sustained in Week 2. As the Giants saw their O-line decimated early last season, Gates’ road back from fibula and tibia breaks led to seven surgeries. This spring, a setback occurred forcing the rod in his leg to be removed, Raanan adds.

Although the possibility existed at that point Gates would not play in 2022, the Giants displayed their confidence in his comeback by designating him for return at the earliest possible point. The former UDFA, who started 16 games at center for the 2020 Giants edition, is tied to the two-year, $6.82MM extension he signed that year. Although Big Blue has changed regimes and revamped its offensive line during Gates’ time away, the Nebraska alum should be in position to at least provide depth up front.

Jon Feliciano has worked as the Giants’ center this season, but the team has sustained multiple injuries at guard. Shane Lemieux remains out due to the severe leg injury he suffered late in the summer of 2021, while fifth-round rookie Marcus McKethan sustained an ACL tear in August. Ben Bredeson has worked as a Big Blue guard starter all season, but the former trade acquisition is battling a knee injury that will likely force him to miss time, Dan Duggan of The Athletic tweets. Third-round rookie Joshua Ezeudu replaced Bredeson against the Jaguars and could be in line to start at left guard in Week 8. Gates will work at center and guard, Brian Daboll said Wednesday (via the New York Post’s Paul Schwartz, on Twitter).

It would not surprise to see the Giants hold Gates out of their Seahawks matchup this week, considering their bye arrives in Week 9. But the former center and guard starter will be in position to contribute during this season’s second half, representing one of the league’s better comeback stories in recent years.

Ravens To Trade OL Ben Bredeson To Giants

For the second straight day, the Giants are acquiring a former Big Ten offensive lineman from an AFC North team. Tuesday’s move: trading for Ravens second-year blocker Ben Bredeson, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets.

Even after the Giants acquired Billy Price (Ohio State) from the Bengals, SNY’s Ralph Vacchiano noted the team was searching for more help up front. Big Blue will give Bredeson a shot. The teams will swap picks in this deal, per Schefter (on Twitter). The Ravens will receive a 2022 fourth-round pick for Bredeson and will send a 2022 fifth-rounder and a 2023 seventh to the Giants, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets.

A Michigan product who went in the 2020 fourth round, Bredeson played in 10 games for the Ravens last season. With the Ravens signing ex-Giants guard Kevin Zeitler, their guard group is a bit deeper than it was a season ago. The Giants have struggled up front during training camp and the preseason slate, and they now have a second new interior blocker to help the cause.

Bredeson was a four-year starter at left guard for the Wolverines and should be in line to back up Will Hernandez and Shane Lemieux with the Giants. Three years remain on Bredeson’s rookie contract; Price’s deal runs through 2021.

This marks the third Ravens trade in the past five days. Evidently pleased with its depth, Baltimore sent rookie cornerback Shaun Wade to the Patriots and dealt center Greg Mancz to the Dolphins.

Minor NFL Transactions: 1/9/21

Here are the latest NFL minor moves:

Baltimore Ravens

Cleveland Browns

Green Bay Packers

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

  • Signed to reserve/futures deal: QB/WR Joe Webb

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

Seattle Seahawks

Tennessee Titans