Juron Criner

Giants Waive Robert Malone, Others

The Giants made a score of moves at the 3pm CT deadline for 75-man rosters. The Giants’ cuts include Brandon Mosley, Eric Herman, Robert Malone, and Jordan Stanton, as Jordan Raanan of the Star-Ledger tweets. The Giants also released running back Akeem Hunt, offensive lineman Michael Bamiro, wide receiver Juron Criner, fullback Justin Halley, offensive lineman Derrick Johnson, defensive tackle Jummy Staten, and tight end Will Tye, as James Kratch of NJ Advance Media tweets.

Bennett Jackson and Josh Gordy have also been placed on season-ending IR, Paul Schwartz of the New York Post tweets.

The release of Malone means that Steve Weatherford has won the battle for the punter job. Safety Nat Berhe is noticeably absent from the IR list and that means his status for 2015 is still up in the air.

Practice Squad Updates: Wednesday

Here’s the latest practice squad news from around the NFL..

  • The Jaguars have re-signed two players to their practice squad in receiver Kerry Taylor and tight end Marcel Jensen, reports John Oehser of the O-Zone (via Twitter). The team has waived tight end Michael Egnew and linebacker Marcus Whitfield to make room for the new additions.
  • The Cardinals have re-signed punter Drew Butler to the practice squad, reports Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com (via Twitter). They have released defensive tackle Christian Tupou to make room for Butler.
  • The Jets are continuing to upgrade their cornerback position, signing LeQuan Lewis to the 53-man roster from their practice squad, reports Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com (via Twitter). Another cornerback, Marcus Williams, took Lewis’ spot on the practice squad, reports Brian Costello of the New York Post (via Twitter).

Earlier Updates:

  • The 49ers re-signed tight end Asante Cleveland to the practice squad, according to CSNBayArea.com’s Matt Barrows (on Twitter).
  • The Saints signed center Alex Parsons to their practice squad and released guard Antoine McClain to make room, according to Ramon Antonio Vargas of The Advocate (on Twitter).
  • The Giants announced that they have added former Raiders wide receiver Juron Criner to their practice squad, according to Jordan Raanan of the Star-Ledger (on Twitter). To make room, they have released fellow wide receiver L’Damian Washington.
  • The Buccaneers have filled their practice squad openings by adding fullback/tight end Ian Thompson, linebacker Shayne Skov, and defensive end T.J. Fatinkun, according to Scott Smith of Buccaneers.com (on Twitter). Skov was expected to sign with Tampa Bay following a successful workout.
  • The Titans announced on Twitter that they have added quarterback Brad Sorensen to their practice squad and released cornerback Ri’Shard Anderson to make room.

Workout Notes: Cox, Beauharnais, Stanzi

The Eagles didn’t bring in any offensive linemen for workouts today or Monday, a league source tells Paul Domowitch of the Philadelphia Daily News (on Twitter). Plenty of teams are busy auditioning players, however. We did a roundup of workout news earlier today and we have a whole ‘nother batch right here..

  • Defensive back Derek Cox and linebacker Steve Beauharnais are among the busiest free agents in the NFL, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. Cox tried out for the Saints while Beauharnais worked out for the Buccaneers, a source tells Yates.
  • The Lions worked out defensive backs Chance Casey, T.J. Heath, Aaron Hester, and Kendall James, and wide receiver Ifeanyi Momah, tweets Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com.
  • The Giants worked out quarterback Ricky Stanzi, according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk (on Twitter). The Giants also worked out safeties Bacarri RamboCorey Lynch and Jerron McMillian and wide receiver Juron Criner, according to Jordan Raanan of the Star-Ledger (on Twitter).
  • The Packers took a look at linebacker Nate Askew, running back Stephen Houston, running back Cameron White, and tackle Michael Philipp, according to Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Guard Josh Walker was also part of today’s tryouts and he wound up getting signed to Green Bay’s practice squad.
  • Nose tackle Ryan Pickett tried out for the Texans, tweets Field Yates of ESPN.com. The veteran started 16 games for Green Bay last season.

East Notes: Wilkerson, Giants, Pats, Dolphins

If J.J. Watt is the standard for the defensive line market, averaging about $16MM per year, Wilkerson should come in somewhere around $13MM or $14MM a year, writes Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com. Wilkerson is in the same boat as Watt was – he’s under contract through 2015. There isn’t a ton of pressure on the Jets to get something done, but they may want to lock up their stud for the long haul before it could cost them even more money. Here’s more out of the AFC and NFC East..

  • Linebacker Steve Beauharnais was among the notable names auditioning for the Giants today, tweets Dan Graziano of ESPN.com. Other names from today’s Giants workout include quarterbacks Matt Scott and Tyler Wilson, and wide receiver Juron Criner. As was previously reported, offensive lineman Adam Gettis and former Ball State wideout Willie Snead were also among the players in attendance.
  • The Giants are working to sign former 49ers guard Adam Snyder, according to Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports (on Twitter). The Giants are looking for help on the offensive line with Geoff Schwartz out of action.
  • The Patriots worked out long snapper Kevin McDermott, according to Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (on Twitter).
  • Former Patriot wide receiver Jeremy Gallon had a try out for the Dolphins today, according to Field Yates of ESPN.com (on Twitter).

Raiders, Seahawks Trim Rosters To 75 Players

The Raiders have officially announced that D.J. Hayden has been placed on the PUP list, which we heard earlier this morning would happen. In addition to that move, the team also announced a series of transactions in a press release, with seven more players removed from the active roster, which now stands at 75 players. Here’s a rundown of the players no longer on Oakland’s active roster:

The Seahawks have also made seven transactions to reduce their roster to 75 players. Here’s a breakdown of Seattle’s moves, via Brian McIntyre (Twitter link):

Raiders Notes: Woodley, Schaub, McFadden

LaMarr Woodley won’t drop back into coverage as much with the Raiders like he did with the Steelers, and he’s just fine with that. Oakland utilizes a base 4-3 alignment, and defensive ends are consumed with what’s in front of them, not behind. As CSNBayArea.com’s Scott Bair notes, Woodley last played in a 4-3 defense at Michigan.

“Looking at the (Raiders) defense, seeing how guys were flying around on defense, getting after people, I kind of felt like after talking to the coach that that’s what he wanted me to do,” Woodley said. “He wanted me to rush the passer more and then drop back in coverage. I felt like with the kind of people that was on this defense, and add me in there, I felt like I could help the team win.”

Woodley signed a two-year deal worth a maximum of $12MM in March, and he’s eager to show the Raiders made a good investment.

“You still have to come here and prove yourself, at least that’s how I feel. The last few years for me haven’t been good. So I have to come here and I feel like I have to rebuild myself as well.”

Other news and notes from the Oakland Raiders:

  • Matt Schaub is a Top 10 quarterback in the Raiders’ eyes, says ESPN.com’s Paul Gutierrez in his Twitter mailbag. As long as the skill set of the former Texans QB can fit with what offensive coordinator Greg Olson wants to do, it’ll be a good match.
  • Gutierrez predicts a run-first offensive approach with Darren McFadden and Maurice Jones-Drew, along with 2013 sixth-round pick Latavius Murray. If the runners can stay healthy and consistently produce positive yardage, that’ll set up the play-action pass, at which Schaub excels.
  • Wide receivers Andre Holmes and Juron Criner have been the stars at three OTA practice thus far.
  • Eddie Paskal of Raiders.com recaps Week 1 of OTAs, with Schaub able to go against an active defense with his receivers for the first time.

Giants Sign 13 Players To Futures Contracts

JANUARY 7TH: The Giants signed quarterback Ricky Stanzi to a reserve/futures deal, according to Jordan Raanan of the Star-Ledger (via Twitter). Combined with their signing of kicker Chris Boswell from earlier today, the tally is now up to 13 for Big Blue.

DECEMBER 29TH: Joining a handful of other teams, the Giants have signed several players to reserve/futures contracts today, locking them up for the offseason. According to Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News (Twitter links), the following 11 players signed deals with New York today:

Of those 11 players, nine were on the team’s practice squad at season’s end. Jackson and Malone are the new additions, while cornerback Victor Hampton was the only taxi squad player not to receive a new deal.