Tony Jefferson was a notable name amongst the Ravens’ final roster cuts, but the belief was that he would return to the team’s practice squad. The veteran safety is indeed joining a taxi squad, but not in Baltimore.
Jefferson is signing with the Giants, per The Athletic’s Jeff Zrebiec and Fox Sports’ Ralph Vacchiano (Twitter links). That represents a surprise given where things stood two days ago, though New York is a logical landing spot. With the Giants, Jefferson will be reunited with defensive coordinator Wink Martindale, who held the same post during their shared time in Baltimore.
Jefferson has significant starting experience dating back to his time with the Cardinals to start his career. That led him to the Ravens in free agency, where he partnered with Eric Weddle until his midseason 2019 knee injury. That opened up a starting spot for Chuck Clark, who has remained a first-teamer ever since. He, along with free agent addition Marcus Williams and first-round rookie Kyle Hamilton will serve as the Ravens’ top safeties.
Jefferson will likely face less of a logjam in the Big Apple. New York has Xavier McKinney and Julian Love at the top of the depth chart, but a lack of experience behind them. 2021 fifth-rounder Jason Pinnock and fourth-round rookie Dane Belton are currently projected as backups, so Jefferson could take on at least a rotational role on the team’s backend.
If he has fully recovered from the four surgeries required by his knee injury, Jefferson could find a spot under Martindale, as the Giants look to take a step forward in 2022.