Giants Sign Darryl Morris, Brandon Dixon
The Giants have added a pair of players to the secondary. The team announced that defensive back Brandon Dixon has been promoted from the practice squad to the 53-man roster. In addition to Dixon, the Giants have also signed free agent Darryl Morris. 
Dixon, 27, has traveled the league since being drafted by the Jets in the sixth round of the 2014 draft. The Northwest Missouri State product has also spent time with the Bucs, Seahawks, Colts, Patriots, Saints, and Steelers. His only real NFL action came with Tampa Bay as a rookie, however, when he appeared in 14 games and had one interception, two passes defensed, and nine total tackles. In what has become a lost season for the Giants, he could have an opportunity to add to his resume.
Morris, also 27, has had multiple NFL stops, but he comes with more in-game experience. The 5’10” cornerback has 48 games to his credit thanks to time spent with the Niners, Texans, and Colts, including 12 games and two starts last year for Indy. He had a career-high 34 tackles, six passes defensed, and one interception for the Colts in 2016.
The 2-9 Giants lost a defensive back this week when Donte Deayon was placed on season-ending IR. They might also be without star Janoris Jenkins for a bit thanks to his injured ankle. With the additions of Morris and Dixon, they have replenished their reserves in advance of Sunday’s game against the Raiders.
To take Dixon’s place on the taxi squad, defensive back Jeremiah McKinnon has been added to the ten-man unit.
NFL Workout Updates: 11/27/17
Here are today’s NFL workouts, with all credit going to Adam Caplan of Sirius XM unless otherwise noted.
Detroit Lions
New England Patriots
- DT Marcus Hardison (Mike Reiss of ESPN.com) (Twitter link)
New York Giants
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WR’s Corey Brown, Jeremy Ross; DT Khyri Thornton; CB Darryl Morris; P Jeff Locke (Twitter link)
Philadelphia Eagles
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QB Matt Simms; TE’s Gabe Holmes, Jevoni Robinson (Twitter link)
Giants Audition OL Orlando Franklin
The Giants auditioned or met with a host of free agents today, according to Field Yates and Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com (Twitter links), and the club specifically focused on the offensive line. Here’s the entire list:
Workouts
- OL Orlando Franklin
- OL Nick Becton
- OL Connor Bozick
- OL Laurence Gibson
- OL Victor Salako
- LB P.J. Dawson
- DB Darryl Morris
Visits
- OL Cyrus Kouandjio
- OL Reid Fragel
Franklin, 29, has already been released twice this calendar year, first by the Chargers — who employed Franklin for the past two seasons — and then by the Saints, with whom Franklin lasted less than a week. A knee injury reportedly led to New Orleans cutting ties, and though there was some thought that Franklin could re-sign with the Saints, a new deal never came to fruition.
A guard by trade, Franklin has also played tackle (the area of most need on the Giants’ roster), but it’s not clear that he’d be an improvement over Ereck Flowers or Bobby Hart. To be sure, Flowers and Hart have struggled mightily this season, but Franklin graded as one of the seven worst guards in the NFL a year ago, per Pro Football Focus. As far as reserves go, however, New York could do worse, as Franklin boasts 89 starts worth of pro experience.
Kouandjio offers several intriguing traits, as well, and chief among them is his youth, as he’s still only 24 years old. The former second-round pick was waived by the Bills earlier this year following an odd off-field incident, and then failed to beat out draft bust Greg Robinson for the Lions’ fill-in left tackle job. He’s only started 12 games in three NFL seasons.
Colts Sign CB Corey White
Chris Culliver isn’t the only cornerback the Colts signed today. Indianapolis also inked corner Corey White, placed corner Darryl Morris on injured reserve, and waived/injured guard Blake Muir, the club announced.
The Colts are clearly on the hunt for defensive back depth, and White will give them just that. A four-game starter for the Bills in 2015, White appeared in 15 total contests and played on a roughly a third of Buffalo’s defensive snaps. During that time, White posted 28 tackles, two interceptions, and four passes defensed. Additionally, White saw action on more than half of the Bills’ special teams plays.
White, 27, signed with the Jets in May, but was subsequently released from injured reserve earlier this month after suffering a back injury. Like Culliver, then, White’s health may be an important factor in just how much he can contribute early in the season. If available from a medical standpoint, White certainly boasts more experience than any Colts corner not named Vontae Davis.
Morris, meanwhile, was a rotational defensive back who appeared on 33.4% of Indianapolis’ plays in 2016. The 26-year-old started two games and earned a respectable No. 53 ranking among 110 qualified corners, per Pro Football Focus. It’s possible Morris will be released from injured reserve in the near future if he returns to full strength.
Minor NFL Transactions: 11/23/16
Wednesday’s minor moves from around the NFL:
- The Colts re-signed cornerback Darryl Morris and placed fellow corner Frankie Williams on the Reserve/Non-Football Injury list.
- The Bears announced that they have promoted linebacker Jonathan Anderson to the active roster. Chicago also signed Lawrence Okoye and listed him as an offensive lineman. Okoye has tried his hand as a defensive lineman in the past.
- The Lions have signed quarterback Jake Rudock to the active roster from the practice squad.
- The Seahawks have moved running back George Farmer from their practice squad to their active roster. A receiver at USC, Farmer shifted to cornerback after signing with the Seahawks as an undrafted free agent in 2015. He then became a rusher entering this year, and racked up 36 yards on nine carries during the preseason.
- The Rams have signed cornerback Steve Williams, according to Alden Gonzalez of ESPN.com. This will be Williams’ second stint of 2016 with the Rams, who waived him after he was inactive for their first two games. He then joined the Chargers and started in two of five appearances, but they cut him Nov. 8.
NFL Workout Updates: 11/22/16
Tuesday is workout day in the NFL, and today was no different. Due to the sheer volume of today’s auditions, we’ll split up the reports by conference:
NFC
- The Bears worked out four offensive lineman today, according to ESPN’s Brad Biggs (via Twitter): Reid Fragel, Jeff Linkenbach, Dillon Farrell, and Dallas Thomas. Biggs tweets that the team also worked out defensive end Lawrence Okoye, who is a former British track and field athlete.
- The Buccaneers auditioned cornerback D’Joun Smith, Cody Riggs and Duke Thomas, according to ESPN’s Adam Caplan (via Twitter). The team also worked out wideouts Corey Washington and Myles White. Riggs and White were ultimately signed to the practice squad.
- The Falcons worked out former Tennessee defensive end Ropati Pitoitua, Caplan tweets.
- The Lions worked out quarterbacks Keith Wenning and Logan Thomas along with wide receivers Dres Anderson, Tyler Murphy, and Andrew Turzilli, as Justin Rogers of The Detroit News tweets. Anderson has since signed with Chicago’s practice squad.
- The Packers were busy today, according to Caplan (via Twitter). The team auditioned receiver B.J. Daniels, cornerback Darryl Morris, and linebackers Derrick Mathews, Beniquez Brown, Dwayne Norman and Darnell Sankey.
- The Panthers worked out guard Josh LeRibeus and former Patriots center Ryan Wendell, tweets Caplan.
AFC
- As Clark Harris recovers from an injury, the Bengals worked out long snappers John DePalma, Ryan DiSalvo, Thomas Gafford, and Tyler Ott, according to Caplan (via Twitter). The team ended up signing Ott to the practice squad.
- The Dolphins worked out offensive tackles Jesse Davis and Marquis Lucas, tweets Caplan.
- The Jaguars worked out a trio of tight ends in Justin Perillo, E.J. Bibbs, and Orson Charles, tweets Caplan. Bibbs ultimately landed on the team’s practice squad. The Jaguars also worked out linebacker Earl Okine.
Zach Links contributed to this post.
Workout Notes: Bears, Pack, Chiefs, Pats
The Redskins worked out six free agents – including defensive tackle Jordan Hill – on Monday, according to Adam Caplan of ESPN (Twitter link). Also among their tryouts: Running back Isaiah Pead; quarterback Josh Woodrum; receivers Matt Hazel and Mekale McKay; and defensive end Sterling Bailey. and Hill was a backup from 2013-15 in Seattle, where he appeared in 27 regular-season games and recorded seven sacks (5.5 in 2014).
More workouts from Monday:
- Cornerbacks Darryl Morris, Shaun Prater, Blidi Wreh-Wilson and Melvin White auditioned for the Bears, tweets Caplan. Chicago is on the hunt for defensive back help after getting torched by the Packers on Thursday Night Football.
- The Packers worked out six receivers – Mario Alford, Dez Stewart, Harvey Binford, Da’Ron Brown, Marcus Johnson and Wendall Williams – according to Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com. Stewart ended up signing with their practice squad. Guard Josh Walker and quarterback Keith Wenning were also among Green Bay’s tryouts Monday. Walker was previously with the Packers, who waived/injured him in training camp.
- Receiver Cayleb Jones tried out for the Chiefs, according to Field Yates of ESPN.com (on Twitter). The 6’3″, 205-pound receiver spent training camp with Philadelphia.
- The Patriots auditioned safety Shamiel Gary, per Doug Kyed of NESN (Twitter link). The ex-Dolphin was with the Patriots for a brief period in 2014.
- The Cowboys took a look at defensive tackles Montori Hughes and Casey Walker, reports Caplan (Twitter link). The team doesn’t plan to sign either of them, however, according to Clarence Hill of the Star-Telegram (via Twitter).
Zach Links contributed to this post.
Colts Claim Lavar Edwards, Cut Darryl Morris
The Colts have claimed outside linebacker Lavar Edwards off waivers from the Panthers and cut cornerback Darryl Morris, according to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (Twitter link).
Edwards, whom the Panthers waived Tuesday, will now join his eighth organization since entering the NFL as a fifth-round pick of the Titans in 2013. The 26-year-old has only seen regular-season action with half of those teams, and he has just 17 appearances and one start to his name. Edwards suited up for five of the Panthers’ first six games this year before they parted with him. Along the way, he picked up five tackles and the first sack of his career.
Morris, also 26, saw action in the Colts’ first six contests this season and logged one start, though Pro Football Focus ranks his 2016 performance just 93rd among 112 qualifying corners. Prior to signing with the Colts in early September, Morris combined for 36 appearances and a start as a member of the 49ers and Texans from 2013-15. Morris joined the Jets as a free agent in March, but he was unable to survive their final roster cuts.
Colts Sign Darryl Morris
With the Colts’ secondary battling through injury issues, the team’s front office has brought in a veteran cornerback. According to Zak Keefer of The Indianapolis Star (via Twitter), the Colts have signed cornerback Darryl Morris. To make room on the roster, the team has cut rookie Frankie Williams.
Morris, 25, joined the Jets this offseason after having spent the past two seasons with the Texans. The former Texas State standout played in 23 games between 2014 and 2015, compiling 46 tackles and six passes defended. The Jets were hoping that Morris would provide some depth to their aging cornerback corps, but the defensive back was ultimately cut by the team on Saturday.
Williams, an undrafted free agent out of Purdue, will now seek work elsewhere, although Mike Chappell of IndySportsCentral.com tweets that the Colts are hoping he’ll land back on their practice squad. The team was seeking some reinforcement at cornerback, as Vontae Davis is expected to miss some time. Patrick Robinson and Darius Butler are also currently battling injuries.
Jets Cut Jace Amaro, Others
The Jets are working their way down to 53. Here are the cuts so far: 
- CB Dee Milliner (story)
- TE Jace Amaro (Twitter link via Kimberley Martin of Newsday)
- DT Tarow Barney (Twitter link via Slater)
- RB Antone Smith (Twitter link via Ralph Vacchiano of SNY)
- DE Claude Pelon (Twitter link via agent David Canter and DEC Management)
- S Doug Middleton
- LB Freddie Bishop (Twitter link via Vacchiano)
- OLB Trevor Reilly (waived-injured) (Twitter link via Slater)
- CB Darryl Morris (Twitter link via Slater)
- OL Mike Liedtke (Twitter link via agent Brett Tesler)
- TE Zach Sudfeld (Twitter link via Connor Hughes of the Star-Ledger)
- OL Craig Watts (Twitter link via Brian Costello of the New York Post)
- ILB Taiwan Jones (Twitter link via Slater)
- WR/KR Jeremy Ross (Twitter link via Costello)
- WR Kenbrell Thompkins (Twitter link via Kimberly A. Martin of Newsday)
- FB Tommy Bohanon (Twitter link via Costell0)
- TE Wes Saxton (Twitter link via Slater)
- WR Chandler Worthy
- CB Bryson Keeton
- CB Kevin Short
Reilly, a seventh-round pick in 2014, played in 29 games for the Jets over the past two seasons. He finished the 2015 campaign with 16 tackles, one sack, and one forced fumble. As Slater notes on Twitter, the linebacker was waived with an injury designation. The 28-year-old could land on the injured reserve, but the reporter doesn’t believe the injury to be that serious.
There was a chance that Morris could carve out a role among the Jets’ defensive backs. However, the three-year veteran couldn’t do enough to beat out Dexter McDougle or Kevin Short. Meanwhile, there was some optimism that former CFL linebacker Freddie Bishop could establish himself, but the team’s linebacker depth proved to be too much to overcome.
On the offensive side of the ball, Sudfeld’s tenure in New York appears to be over. The 27-year-old collected only ten catches for 148 yards over the past two seasons.
In related news, the Jets may be making an addition to the roster before the weekend is through. Former San Francisco guard Ian Silberman worked out for the Jets on Friday, as Adam Caplan of ESPN.com tweets.
(Sheldon Richardson does not currently count against the 53-man roster due to his season-opening suspension)
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.