Giants Looking More At Depth Than Impact At WR
After losing star second-year wide receiver Malik Nabers to a season-ending ACL tear, no one would blame the Giants for aggressively pursuing a replacement, but so far, no such efforts have been made. In fact, the team came out earlier this week to say that they are unlikely to pursue any additions at the position. 
Seeming to go against that claim, though, New York hosted a number of pass catchers this week for tryouts, per Pat Leonard of NY Daily News Sports. These were not veteran free agents that were getting their tires kicked. The visitors included Michael Woods, Rakim Jarrett, Brandon Johnson, and Samori Toure, who ended up signing to the Broncos practice squad today.
So, based on the lack of interest in impact veterans available on the free agent market or on other teams’ practice squads and based on the lack of trade talks for impact receivers, it seems clear that the Giants have faith in the abilities of their current receiving corps; they’re more concerned with depth. With Nabers, Da’Quan Felton, and Bryce Ford-Wheaton all on injured reserve, the Giants only have five wideouts on the 53-man roster: Wan’Dale Robinson, Darius Slayton, Jalin Hyatt, Beaux Collins, and Gunner Olszewski. New York also rosters veterans Lil’Jordan Humphrey and Ihmir Smith-Marsette and rookie Dalen Cambre on the practice squad.
Even with the options on the taxi squad, the Giants decided not to utilize one of their two allotted standard gameday practice squad elevations on the position, shocking Dan Duggan of The Athletic, who expected Humphrey’s name to get called. While Robinson and Slayton have shown their ability to be impact players on the offense, this situation is being viewed as an opportunity for the former third-round pick, Hyatt, to step up in a big way. Over his first two seasons, Hyatt has disappointed with only 31 catches for 435 yards and no scores.
Duggan, though, has put forth a theory that Collins, an undrafted rookie out of Notre Dame, will get the majority of looks at WR3. Collins had a couple more snaps than Hyatt in Week 3, while Hyatt just edged out Collins for more snaps last week. Either way, it appears New York is intent on utilizing what it has on hand to run their passing game, while looking to replenish the back end of the group with potential practice squad additions.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/17/25
Today’s midweek practice squad moves:
Dallas Cowboys
- Signed: C Wesley French
Houston Texans
- Signed: CB Ajani Carter
New Orleans Saints
- Signed: T Sataoa Laumea, G William Sherman
- Released: QB Hunter Dekkers
New York Giants
- Signed: CB LaMareon James
- Released: CB Dee Williams
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed: TE Matt Sokol
- Released: TE J.J. Galbreath, WR Rakim Jarrett
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed: T Brandon Parker
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: CB Shaquill Griffin
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/8/25
Today’s practice squad moves:
Carolina Panthers
- Signed: DT Tommy Akingbesote, DB Israel Mukuamu
Green Bay Packers
- Signed: RB Pierre Strong
- Released: RB Israel Abanikanda
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed: RB Ameer Abdullah
- Released: RB Khalil Herbert
New York Giants
- Signed: OT Reid Holskey
- Released: G McClendon Curtis
New York Jets
- Signed: OL Liam Fornadel
Philadelphia Eagles
- Signed: RB Montrell Johnson, OL Hollin Pierce
- Released: WR Elijah Cooks
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed: WR Rakim Jarrett
- Released: WR Lance McCutcheon
Buccaneers Make Roster Cuts
Here is how the Buccaneers trimmed their roster to the 53-man limit Tuesday:
Released:
- DL Eric Banks
- DL Adam Gotsis
- CB Bryce Hall
- WR Jacob Harris
- G Michael Jordan
- G Sua Opeta
Waived:
- CB Tre Avery
- QB Connor Bazelak
- DL C.J. Brewer
- S Will Brooks
- DL Mike Greene
- WR Garrett Greene
- G Luke Haggard
- WR Jacob Harris
- WR Dennis Houston
- DL Nash Hutmacher
- LB Nick Jackson
- WR Rakim Jarrett
- DL Dvon J-Thomas
- RB Jase McClellan
- T Tyler McLellan
- T Lorenz Metz
- OL Raiqwon O’Neal
- OLB Warren Peeples Jr.
- WR Trey Palmer
- LB Jose Ramirez
- S Shilo Sanders
- G Ben Scott
- TE Tanner Taula
- RB Owen Wright
Waived/injured:
- CB JayVian Farr
- CB Tyrek Funderburk
- LB Antonio Grier
- C Jake Majors
- G Raiqwon O’Neal
- CB Roman Parodie
Waived/Non-Football Illness:
Sanders, the son of NFL legend and Colorado head coach Deion Sanders, signed with Tampa Bay in May after he went undrafted. Shilo, who had been competing for a spot at the back of the Bucs’ safety depth chart, was ejected from the club’s preseason finale on Saturday for throwing a punch following heavy pushing and shoving with Bills TE Zach Davidson. He was also flagged for pass interference in the game.
Agents Drew Rosenhaus and Robert Bailey told ESPN’s Adam Schefter that Sanders was headed to the waiver wire, and they hope their client will get claimed on waivers. A fresh start would likely be welcomed by all parties, although it will be interesting to see if any outside suitors put in a claim given the manner in which his Tampa tenure came to an end.
Jarrett, who joined the Bucs as an undrafted free agent in 2023, has recorded 13 catches for 184 yards in his brief time with the team. He will now hit the waiver wire. Provided no claim is made, a spot on the practice squad could be in store given Jarrett’s familiarity with the organization. The Bucs will hold P-squad spots for Jackson and Bazelak, per ESPN’s Jenna Laine and Fox Sports’ Greg Auman. Bazelak staying on would provide finality for Kyle Trask, whom the Bucs released earlier this week. Teddy Bridgewater will be Tampa Bay’s backup, and it looks like Bazelak — a rookie UDFA from Bowling Green — will be the third-stringer.
Weight issues stalled Watson’s practice work, and the Tampa Bay Times’ Rick Stroud indicates he ballooned to 470 pounds entering the offseason program. Weight trouble hindered Watson, who did not see any preseason action due to the issue. The Bucs opted to cut Watson, who would have been the heaviest player in NFL history had he played in a regular-season game, rather than stash him on the reserve/Non-Football Illness list. They will not hold a practice squad spot for him, Stroud adds.
Sam Robinson contributed to this post.
Minor NFL Transactions: 10/26/24
Saturdays minor moves, including standard gameday practice squad elevations:
Arizona Cardinals
- Elevated: DL Ben Stille, CB Divaad Wilson
Atlanta Falcons
- Elevated: CB Natrone Brooks, DE Demone Harris
Baltimore Ravens
- Activated from IR: CB Jalyn Armour-Davis
- Elevated: CB Bump Cooper Jr.
- Placed on IR: CB T.J. Tampa
Buffalo Bills
- Elevated: DT Eli Ankou, WR Jalen Virgil
Chicago Bears
- Activated from IR: RB Travis Homer, DE Jacob Martin
- Elevated: S Tarvarius Moore
Dallas Cowboys
- Signed to active roster: CB Amani Oruwariye
- Elevated: RB Dalvin Cook (story)
- Placed on IR: TE John Stephens (story)
Denver Broncos
- Elevated: LB Kwon Alexander, G Calvin Throckmorton
Detroit Lions
- Elevated: OLB Al-Quadin Muhammad, TE Shane Zylstra
Green Bay Packers
- Elevated: CB Robert Rochell
Houston Texans
- Elevated: FB Troy Hairston
Kansas City Chiefs
- Elevated: WR Montrell Washington
Las Vegas Raiders
- Elevated: QB Carter Bradley, TE Justin Shorter
Los Angeles Chargers
- Elevated: WR Jaylen Johnson, WR Jalen Reagor
New England Patriots
- Elevated: LB Ochaun Mathis
New Orleans Saints
- Signed to active roster: S Ugo Amadi
- Elevated: WR Equanimeous St. Brown, S Roderic Teamer
- Waived: RB Jordan Mims
New York Jets
- Elevated: OL Alec Lindstrom, S Jarius Monroe
Philadelphia Eagles
- Activated from IR: WR Ainias Smith
San Francisco 49ers
- Elevated: S Adrian Amos, K Anders Carlson
Seattle Seahawks
- Activated from IR: S Jerrick Reed II
- Elevated: CB Faion Hicks, CB Josh Jobe
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Activated from IR: WR Rakim Jarrett
- Elevated: QB Michael Pratt
Tennessee Titans
- Signed to active roster: CB Gabe Jeudy-Lally, WR Mason Kinsey, T John Ojukwu
- Elevated: RB Joshua Kelley, QB Trevor Siemian
- Placed on IR: T Jaelyn Duncan
- Waived: OLB Caleb Murphy
Minor NFL Transactions: 10/17/24
Thursday’s minor moves:
Denver Broncos
- Waived: RB Blake Watson
- Elevated: LB Kwon Alexander, G Calvin Throckmorton
New Orleans Saints
- Signed to active roster: WR Jermaine Johnson
- Promoted: S Johnathan Abram, WR Equanimeous St. Brown
New York Jets
- Waived: TE Brenden Bates
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Designated for return from IR: WR Rakim Jarrett
Watson could be claimed off waivers by any teams seeking backfield depth. If that does not take place, though, he will become a free agent. Chris Tomasson of the Denver Gazette reports a mutual interest exists for team and player to reunite via a practice squad deal provided it is possible. Watson, an undrafted rookie, has made only one appearance to date so he should have a strong chance of passing through waivers unclaimed.
Buccaneers Set 53-Man Roster
The Buccaneers surprised a bit in 2023 without Tom Brady in the lineup. With Baker Mayfield leading the way, the team managed to win their division and return to the postseason for the fourth-straight season. Before the team can look to make it five consecutive trips to the playoffs, the organization had to make some difficult roster decisions today. The team announced the following moves as they set their 53-man roster:
Released:
- WR Sterling Shepard (story)
- WR Cody Thompson
- LS Zach Triner
- TE David Wells
- QB John Wolford
Waived:
- S Marcus Banks
- DL C.J. Brewer
- TE Sal Cannella
- P Nolan Cooney
- DL Judge Culpepper
- G Xavier Delgado
- DL Mike Greene
- LB Antonio Grier
- OLB Daniel Grzesiak
- T Luke Haggard
- CB Andrew Hayes
- CB Keenan Isaac
- RB Ramon Jefferson
- WR Cephus Johnson
- G Ryan Johnson
- C Avery Jones
- WR Latreal Jones
- LB Vi Jones
- WR Tanner Knue
- DL Brandon Matterson
- CB Chris McDonald
- T Lorenz Metz
- WR Ryan Miller
- OLB Jay Person
- TE Tanner Taula
- WR Raleigh Webb
- RB D.J. Williams
- S Rashad Wisdom
Waived/injured:
- LB Kalen DeLoach
- OLB Shaun Peterson
- DL Lwal Uguak
Placed on IR:
- RB Chase Edmonds (story)
- WR Rakim Jarrett (designated to return)
The Buccaneers have continued their trend of building around draft picks. As Greg Auman of FOX Sports points out, 44 of Tampa Bay’s 53 players were either drafted by the organization or joined as an undrafted free agent. Among starters, the only players who didn’t join the organization as rooks are QB Baker Mayfield and guard Ben Bredeson.
The team will temporarily roll with only a pair of quarterbacks in Mayfield and backup Kyle Trask. John Wolford could have brought some starting experience to the QB room, as the former Ram started four games during his time in Los Angeles. The veteran also started the 2023 campaign on Tampa Bay’s p-squad before earning a promotion, so there’s a chance he follows a similar path this year.
Buccaneers Plan For RB Chase Edmonds To Start Season On IR
As we near the start of the regular season, we are beginning to get a clearer picture of what NFL rosters will look like in Week 1. In one such instance, Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles informed the media that running back Chase Edmonds would likely start the season on injured reserve, per Greg Auman of FOX Sports. 
Edmonds spent the 2023 season as RB2 for Tampa Bay, running behind starter Rachaad White and before Ke’Shawn Vaughn. He finished his first season with the Buccaneers with 49 carries for 176 yards and 14 catches for 81 yards through the air.
Despite his status as the second back on the depth chart, last year saw the least-productive season of Edmonds’ career. Running mostly as the second back in Arizona during his rookie contract, Edmonds averaged about 388 rushing yards and 231 receiving yards per season as a Cardinal. He even earned 11 starts in 12 games during the final year of his rookie deal. He followed that up by splitting the 2022 season between Miami and Denver before making his way to Tampa last year.
Vaughn signed as a free agent in San Francisco, so without Vaughn and Edmonds, the top backup behind White is seemingly fourth-round rookie Bucky Irving out of Oregon. Originally a Golden Gopher as a freshman in college, Irving transferred from Minnesota to spend the past two seasons with the Ducks, amassing 2,238 rushing yards for 16 touchdowns and 712 receiving yards for five more scores through the air over that time. He hasn’t gotten much run throughout the preseason, but Tampa Bay won’t have much choice but to rely on him at the start of 2024.
Additionally, Bowles claims that second-year wide receiver Rakim Jarrett will follow Edmonds to IR. An undrafted rookie last season out of Maryland, Jarrett caught four passes for 60 yards in 2024. With some shuffling around in the receivers room this offseason, Jarrett was looking to start the year on the two-deep. Instead, he’ll likely miss the first four games of the year, at least.
While there is a rule that players placed on IR before the start of the regular season must spend the entire season there, there is also a new rule dictating that teams may place two players on IR before the roster cut deadline and still have them be eligible to return for the season. Any other players that a team plans to place on IR will need to spend at least on day of the 53-man roster before being moved to the injured list. It looks like Edmonds and Jarrett will be the unlucky two for Tampa Bay allowed to return.
Minor NFL Transactions: 1/5/24
Here are Friday’s minor moves:
Baltimore Ravens
- Signed from practice squad: LB Jeremiah Moon
- Placed on IR: CB Daryl Worley
- Elevated: DB Andrew Adams, TE Ben Mason
New Orleans Saints
- Placed on IR: LB Nephi Sewell
New York Jets
- Signed from practice squad: RB Xazavian Valladay
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Elevated: LB Myles Jack, S Eric Rowe
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Activated from IR: WR Rakim Jarrett
- Waived: DL Deadrin Senat
Washington Commanders
- Placed on IR: CB Tariq Castro-Fields, CB Kendall Fuller, CB Christian Holmes
- Signed from practice squad: DT Abdullah Anderson, DT Benning Potoa’e, CB Nick Whiteside
A knee injury will send Fuller to IR, potentially wrapping the veteran cornerback’s second stint in Washington. The 2016 third-round pick, sent to Kansas City in the Alex Smith trade, returned in 2020 on a four-year, $40MM deal. With the Commanders having already fired Jack Del Rio and being set to clean house following their season finale, the 28-year-old corner could be headed elsewhere in free agency.
Worley has played 124 defensive snaps for the Ravens this season, starting two games. This will be the eighth-year corner’s second IR placement this season. If the Ravens qualify for Super Bowl LVIII, they would be eligible to activate Worley a second time. (Baltimore has four IR activations remaining, though one may need to be saved in case Mark Andrews can come back.) Worley is dealing with shoulder and ankle injuries.
Minor NFL Transactions: 12/20/23
Wednesday’s minor transactions:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed from practice squad: LB Tyreek Maddox-Williams
- Signed off Ravens’ practice squad: TE Travis Vokolek
- Placed on IR: TE Geoff Swaim, LB Josh Woods
Carolina Panthers
- Designated to return from IR: LB Claudin Cherelus
Cincinnati Bengals
- Claimed off waivers (from Falcons): DT Travis Bell
Denver Broncos
- Designated to return from IR: OL Alex Palczewski
New York Giants
- Designated to return from IR: RB Gary Brightwell, T Matt Peart
New York Jets
- Waived: FB Nick Bawden
San Francisco 49ers
- Placed on IR: DT Kalia Davis
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Designated to return from IR: WR Rakim Jarrett
Tennessee Titans
- Signed off Texans’ practice squad: LB Garret Wallow
- Placed on IR: WR Nick Westbrook-Ikhine