Giants Sign Owens to Practice Squad

AUG 30 – OWENS ASSIGNED – It’s been a tumultuous week for New York Giants safety Gervarrius Owens.

Owens made a decent bid for the final safety spot on the Giants roster, arguably the weakest point of depth on the team. He played well in the preseason opener against the Detroit Lions, but was sidelined for the final portion of camp.

He made a brief appearance at Tuesday’s practice, suggesting he had made the 53-man roster, but was one of New York’s final cuts instead.

The team opted for safety Anthony Johnson for the last secondary spot.

However, on Friday, the Giants signed Owens to the practice squad, opting to prioritize safety depth over linebacker depth ( per Jordan Raanan ). In a corresponding move, New York released linebacker K.J. Cloyd.

AUG 28 – ON THE WIRE – In the wake of rosters being capped at 53 players, hundreds of players have hit the waiver wire.

The New York Giants, with question marks at the bottom of their roster, were expected to be one of the league’s most active participants in the waiver wire frenzy. But by noon on Wednesday, only one of their waiver claims was successful.

The team signed safety Anthony Johnson off of waivers after he was released by the Green Bay Packers.

Johnson, a seventh-round pick from the 2023 NFL Draft, was a deep safety who also saw special teams snaps – particularly on the kickoff coverage unit.

According to Ryan Dunleavy , New York cut safety Gervarrius Owens as the corresponding move to Johnson's signing.

AUG 26 – TWO MORE CUTS – As Tuesday’s 4 p.m. deadline looms, the New York Giants are gradually making their way from 90 roster spots to 53.

The first 10 cuts came in a wave on Sunday, likely indicative of them not being considered for a roster or practice squad spot.

New York would add two more cuts on Sunday – safety Jonathan Sutherland and defensive lineman Timmy Horne.

Sutherland fared well in the team’s second preseason game against the Houston Texans, but was essentially filler for an injured safety room. He did not play against the New York Jets on Saturday, sealing his fate.

Horne, meanwhile, did play on Saturday, but only for a single defensive snap. A torn Achilles ended his season.

AUG 25 – O-LINE UPDATES – It was easy to feel queasy about the state of the New York Giants offensive line when the lone starter playing in Saturday’s 10-6 loss to the New York Jets, center John Michael Schmitz, left with an ankle injury.

Right tackle Evan Neal would join him with a quick hook.

Fortunately, though, both players confirmed their status for Week 1 after the game.

“Just got rolled up on,” Schmitz said, via Pat Leonard . “Life of a center.”

He’ll have an MRI tomorrow but remained unconcerned.

Likewise, head coach Brian Daboll said Neal was on a pitch count, and his tweaked ankle is of little worry.

AUG 21 – GIANT COMEBACK – In the 2019 NFL Draft, the New York Giants made cornerback Deandre Baker the third first-round pick of their class.

Defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence has become one of the best players in all of football. Quarterback Daniel Jones will enter his sixth season as New York’s primary starting quarterback. Baker was out of the NFL by the end of his third season.

After poor play and legal issues, Baker’s career never really got off the ground. However, on Wednesday, Tom Pelissero reported that Baker took another step in the road back to the big leagues.

He has now hired a new agency, Peterson Sports, to represent him.

Baker reappeared on the radar of professional football this year, when he played for the UFL’s DC Defenders and received All-UFL honors in the process. Entering his age-27 season, he hopes his recent play, first-round pedigree, and raw tools earn him another opportunity.

AUG 19 – DETAILS REVEALED – The New York Giants have signed a multitude of free agents as training camp rolls on. That’s customary for this time of year as offseason rosters need replenishing through the bumps and bruises of training camp and preseason games.

Courtesy of Aaron Wilson , Giants fans got some insight into how many of these late-stage free agent deals were worth.

The most lucrative of the bunch was for running back Joshua Kelley, who signed for $1.125 million. Due to the veteran salary cap benefit, incentivizing teams to prioritize experienced players over undrafted free agents, only $985,000 will count against the cap.

New York’s other signings are as follows:

• Safety Raheem Layne: $950,000
• Safety Jonathan Sutherland: $795,000
• Running Back Lorenzo Lingard: $795,000
• Linebacker K.J. Cloyd: $795,000

AUG 18 – GUNNER DOWN – The New York Giants didn’t escape Saturday’s 28-10 loss to the Houston Texans fully healthy. An assortment of defensive players went down and were eventually ruled out, and late in the fourth quarter offensive tackle Yodny Cajuste would join them with a foot injury.

However, after the game head coach Brian Daboll revealed that one of its receivers had suffered an injury prior to the exhibition.

Receiver and punt returner Gunner Olszewski missed Saturday’s contest, and may be in line to miss more time.

"No updates. Gunner had an injury [at] Friday practice,” Daboll said . “Gunner will be out for a little while."

This leaves Isaiah McKenzie as the go-to returnman on both punts and kickoffs, especially while running back Tyrone Tracy Jr. works his way back from an ankle injury. McKenzie averaged 27.7 yards per kick return in the loss and returned a single punt for 12 yards.

AUG 16 – GIANTS SIGN JOHNSON – On Friday, the New York Giants made a move that many speculated would have come sooner, given the changes to the coaching staff this offseason.

The team signed fullback/tight end Jakob Johnson, per his personal Twitter .

In a corresponding move, New York waived tight end Tyree Jackson, who was dealing with a back injury. He had previously been tabbed as the emergency quarterback for Saturday’s preseason game against the Houston Texans, but quarterback Drew Lock has recovered enough to fill that role.

Johnson’s usage as a fullback is a change from recent Giants’ teams, but his prowess as a run blocker is a nice addition. Having worked with offensive line coach Carmen Bricillo, it’s no surprise he wound up in New York, where he immediately figures into the conversation for a roster spot.

Whether he takes away from the running back room, tight end room, or another fringe player’s spot will be something to monitor.

AUG 16 – DEOSSIE SIGHTING – It’s not every day New York Giants fans get to see one of their favorites out in the wild.

On Thursday, those tuning in to the New York Mets vs. Oakland Athletics got the surprise of seeing former Giants long snapper Zak DeOssie throw out the first pitch.

New York actually had two ceremonial first pitches before the festivities, a 7-6 loss. The other, perhaps overshadowing DeOssie, was Haliey Welch (otherwise known as the Hawk Tuah girl).

While DeOssie’s toss didn’t go quite as viral – or draw nearly as much criticism – fans saw the Super Bowl champion don his Giants cap with a throwback Mets jersey on.

Fans can watch the pitch here .

AUG 14 – SECOND SAFETY – The New York Giants needed healthy bodies at safety after injuries to Jalen Mills, Gervarrius Owens, and Elijah Riley left the secondary short-handed.

Subsequently, they worked out safeties Raheem Layne and Jonathan Sutherland on Wednesday and ultimately signed the former.

Hours later, per Aaron Wilson , the Giants reached a deal with Sutherland, too.

While more so keeping spots warm for others, there’s a good chance the two appear in Saturday’s preseason game against the Houston Texans.

While Layne is more of a rangy free safety by trade, Sutherland’s 25-rep bench press in the 2023 NFL Combine may earn him some box responsibilities this summer. He spent time there and at slot corner during the preseason last year (with the Seattle Seahawks).

Both safeties are longshots to make the roster.

AUG 14 – GIANTS SIGN SAFETY – The New York Giants have had a laundry list of injuries throughout training camp. Offensive linemen got off to late starts, quarterback Drew Lock exited the preseason game early, receiver Malik Nabers limped off the practice field … the list goes on and on.

Just about every position has been hit in the early going, including safety, where the Giants only have five healthy bodies.

As such, they spent part of Wednesday working out safeties Raheem Layne and Jonathan Sutherland. Ultimately, New York settled on Layne and signed him after the workout, per Dan Duggan .

Layne, a 2022 undrafted free agent, is more of a free safety by trade. As a depth piece with the Los Angeles Chargers, though, the bulk of his playing time has come on special teams.

After successfully making his way back from an October ACL tear, he’ll hope to earn himself a spot in New York’s plans, however minor his role may be. For now, he’s depth for the preseason contest against the Houston Texans.

AUG 14 – NO DOUBT NABERS – The New York Giants suffered an injury scare on Sunday when rookie receiver Malik Nabers limped off the field after taking off his shoes, reminiscent of a foot or ankle injury of some kind.

As it turns out, it was a minor ankle sprain for the No. 6 pick, nothing too serious, and nothing Giants fans need to be particularly concerned about.

On Tuesday, he was brief in his elaboration about his injury. Would he be ready for Week 1?

“No doubt,” he said, via Jordan Raanan . “No doubt.”

Nabers rejoined New York for practice but did not participate on Tuesday. While he may practice on Thursday before Saturday’s preseason contest, it is unlikely he plays.

The abundance of caution is justified. As long as he’s on the field for Week 1, fans will happily live without Nabers’ first professional catch.

AUG 12 – GIANTS SIGN NEW RB – If you saw smoke emerging from the New York Giants’ facilities on Monday, it may have been the anointing of a new training camp signing.

The Giants signed running back Lorenzo Lingard to the offseason roster.

The move comes just hours after waiving UFL standout Jacob Saylors, diminishing the notion that the Giants parted ways with the back because of the performance of other running backs in the preseason win over the Detroit Lions.

Lingard was most recently a member of the Jacksonville Jaguars and was undrafted after attending Miami, Florida, and Akron across six seasons.

At 25 years old, he’s played just about as much football as his peers in the RB room, despite his lack of NFL experience.

AUG 11 – SAYLORS WAIVED – The New York Giants had no shortage of roster moves on the final day of preseason Week 1.

Among the flurry of signings, activations, and returns to practice, the Giants waived running back Jacob Saylors.

Saylors was added to the offseason roster earlier this summer after a successful stint in the UFL.

It’s possible this cut is related to the strong play New York saw from its backs against the Detroit Lions. With four running backs locked into roster spots and performing well in camp, opportunities just weren’t going to be there for Saylors.

While certainly a setback, Saylors will hope to find another team with a better opportunity for playing time or a shot on the practice squad as the preseason rolls on.

AUG 11 – SCHMITZ BACK – The New York Giants got healthier on Sunday, activating offensive tackle Evan Neal off the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) List.

While that demanded an official roster move, New York’s second instance of good news did not. Center John Michael Schmitz is returning to practice.

Per Art Stapleton , head coach Brian Daboll revealed that Schmtiz would return to practice, though it’s unlikely he sees time in team drills right away. He’ll be doing individual drills to best ramp up while monitoring his shoulder injury that kept him out to this point.

While Schmitz is expected to start at center for New York this year, his spot shouldn’t be seen as iron clad. Like Neal, Schmitz struggled mightily in 2023, and after the signing of interior lineman Greg Van Roten, the Giants can feel more comfortable about their depth up front.

Van Roten will see time at guard, but his versatility could come in handy if Schmitz struggles at camp and into the season.

AUG 10 – RODGERS RAMP UP – The New York Giants played their first preseason game on Thursday, beginning their summer circuit that will end on Aug. 24 against the New York Jets.

While the Jets begin their preseason on Saturday, they’ll do so without quarterback Aaron Rodgers. He’s healthy, nearly a year removed from his Achilles tear, but New York is taking every precaution. However, the Jets generally like to play their starters in the final preseason game.

Recently, head coach Robert Saleh spoke about that possibility.

“We haven’t had final decisions yet at all with regards to the third game,” Saleh said, via SNY. “You guys know me, the third game is usually when we like to play our guys and depending on how today went, how Saturday goes, and next week’s work with the Panthers and the following week with the Giants, I’ll make that decision.”

On whether or not that meant there’s a chance he lets Rodgers play, Saleh was brief, but seemingly open-minded.

“Yeah.”

Last year, Rodgers played well against the Giants, including a moment of trash talk with defensive lineman Jihad Ward. New York will have to wait and see if some exhibition game revenge is in store.

AUG 9 – ROURKE OFF THE BOARD – On Thursday, the New York Giants beat the Detroit Lions 14-3 to win their preseason opener.

In the process, they temporarily lost backup quarterback Drew Lock, who started the exhibition festivities. The quarterback went down with an oblique strain and hip pointer ( per Jordan Raanan ). Missing anything more than a few weeks would be unexpected.

Nevertheless, that left Tommy DeVito and Daniel Jones as the only quarterbacks on the roster, and opened the door for a short-term free agent signing.

Quarterback Nathan Rourke, who was with the Giants earlier in camp, figured to be an option – at least for those of us not up to date on the whereabouts of free agent quarterbacks. As it turns out, Rourke signed with the Atlanta Falcons on Aug. 4.

New York waived Rourke to let him find a better opportunity elsewhere, though the Falcons don’t present as such on paper. With the Giants needing a warm body for practice this week and the upcoming preseason contest, it wouldn’t be too surprising if he made his way back. For now, though, he remains off the board, forcing the Giants to look elsewhere.

AUG 6 – COLOR RUSH CANCELED – The New York Giants are wearing their “Century Red” uniforms for Week 1’s season-opening festivities against the Minnesota Vikings.

It will come at a cost.

Teams are only allowed a certain number of uniforms, and the Giants will be wearing four different jerseys this year.

The beloved white color rush uniforms didn’t make the cut .

It’s unclear whether it’s a one-year hiatus in favor of the 100th anniversary jerseys or a more permanent pivot. But for the 2024 season, New York will go without arguably its best uniform. It was most recently worn in Week 6’s loss against the Buffalo Bills last season.

AUG 4 – ELI’S LATEST PASS – The city-wide discourse between New York Giants fans being split among the New York Mets and Yankees continued on Sunday when the New York Yankees helped the Giants celebrate their 100th anniversary.

Before their game against the Toronto Blue Jays, former Giants quarterback Eli Manning threw out the ceremonial first pitch.

It may have sailed a little high, but Manning kept the velocity his older brother current in the later stages of his career.

You can watch the pitch here .

To commemorate the anniversary, New York also gave away Manning bobbleheads , with the quarterback in a Yankees uniform.

AUG 2 – JONESING FOR MADDEN – If you’re a fan of the New York Giants and the Madden NFL franchise, there’s a good chance you’ll dabble into franchise mode to take the reins of general manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll.

But after quarterback Daniel Jones’ ratings were officially released, we have a feeling you might be simulating ahead to the NFL Draft.

EA Sports rolled out its quarterback overalls on Friday, and in doing so revealed that Jones would be a mere 71 overall, on a scale to 99.

Related: Giants Unretire Number for Nabers' Jersey Reveal

With Jones’ mediocre physical tools – he is buoyed by speed (87) but will likely lack arm strength and accuracy attributes – a high overall can be hard to achieve. But at a 71, he’s tied for the 34th-best quarterback in the game.

That puts him on the same level as backup quarterback Desmond Ridder and rookies Bo Nix and J.J. McCarthy.

Other Giants passers include Drew Lock (64) and Tommy DeVito (61).

AUG 2 – WHO’S WILSON – On Thursday, the New York Giants made perhaps their weirdest move of the offseason.

According to Aaron Wilson , the Giants worked out former Washington State offensive lineman Jack Wilson.

Wilson was an undrafted free agent, but his story doesn’t stop there.

Wilson last appeared in a game in 2022, but barely saw much action at all. According to his school bio , the vast majority of snaps came on special teams – particularly blocking on field goals. That’s … about it. He didn’t play in the team’s bowl game that season, either, because he was playing basketball for the university. Spoiler alert, he didn’t get much playing time there as well.

How does a college athletics afterthought get the attention of an NFL organization? Being 6-foot-11, 338 pounds certainly helps.

Wilson is the longest of long shots and an incredible story. Perhaps New York could make something of his gargantuan frame, but it’s best to temper expectations until there’s a transaction next to his name.