Corey Washington

Giants Trim Roster To 53 Players

The Giants have been one of the more interesting teams to watch, as cuts are made from 75 players to 53 — New York released several notable veteran players, including wide receiver James Jones, fullback Henry Hynoski, punter Steve Weatherford, and linebackers Jameel McClain and Ashlee Palmer.

In a press release today, the club confirmed those moves, along with the decision to place safety Nat Berhe on injured reserve, and announced the rest of the transactions made to get the roster down to 53 players. Here are those moves:

Released:

  • CB Chykie Brown
  • S Jeromy Miles

Waived:

  • DL Brad Bars
  • K Chris Boswell
  • OL Emmett Cleary
  • DB C.J. Conway
  • OL Sean Donnelly
  • LB Cole Farrand
  • DB Chandler Fenner
  • OL Adam Gettis
  • DL Dominique Hamilton
  • RB Kenneth Harper
  • TE Adrien Robinson
  • WR Julian Talley

Waived/injured:

  • WR Corey Washington (shoulder)

Placed on injured reserve:

  • OL Brett Jones (knee)

NFC East Notes: Giants, Cowboys, Barkley, Eagles

A year ago, Newberry College standout Corey Washington was a standout during Giants training camp. The undrafted wideout went from having practically no chance at making the roster to suddenly being a reserve receiver.

However, the player hasn’t been turning heads during this summer’s camp, and the 23-year-old understands he has to contribute in other areas to make the team.

“I’m still considered a special-teams player,” Washington told Paul Schwartz of the New York Post. “So I have to perform on offense and special teams, and hopefully be able to make the team again.

“With the three receivers we’ve got in front of me — Odell and Rueben and Vic — I’m pretty sure the fourth receiver has to be a special teamer. That’s what I’m aiming for, to be the fourth receiver. So, we’ll see.”

Let’s check out some more notes from the NFC East…

  • Although cornerback Byron Jones, defensive end Randy Gregory and guard La’el Collins will steal most of the headlines among Cowboys rookies, Clarence E. Hill Jr. of the Star-Telegram believes a number of other first-year players are primed to make an impact for Dallas. In particular, the writer points to linebacker Damien Wilson (fourth round) and wideout Lucky Whitehead (undrafted).
  • With Tim Tebow‘s apparent emergence on the Eagles, Garry Cobb of GCobb.com believes Matt Barkley could be on the outside looking in. Still, the former USC standout has impressed during camp, leading the writer to believe that the team could get a draft pick for the quarterback.
  • Former Rutgers safety Jeremy Deering will audition for the Eagles on Sunday, according to Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle (via Twitter). The writer notes that six teams are interested in the 2014 undrafted free agent.

East Notes: Griffin, Brent, Branch

Robert Griffin III struggled in the Redskins‘ third preseason game against the Ravens on Saturday night, and that has led to a great deal of chatter as to whether he or backup Kirk Cousins represents the team’s best option under center. Redskins’ legend Joe Theismann weighed in on the conversation in the fourth quarter of last night’s game (as transcribed by Dan Steinberg of the Washington Post) stating:

“Let’s stop beating around the bush. Kirk Cousins has played much better at the quarterback position than Robert Griffin III has…Now, if there was a quarterback competition, it wouldn’t be a competition. Kirk Cousins would be the man I believe [head coach Jay Gruden] would have to go to.”

Theismann continued to sing Cousins’ praises after the game ended. Former Redskin Brian Mitchell, an analyst on the team’s post game show, disagreed with Theismann’s assessment, stating that Griffin, not Cousins, gives Washington the best chance of winning. For what it’s worth, Liz Clarke of the Washington Post writes that Griffin rejects the belief that he has regressed this preseason.

Now for some more notes from the league’s east divisions:

  • Rich Tandler of CSNWashington.com points out the obvious flaw in Theismann’s analysis, writing that, since there never was a quarterback competition in Redskins camp–Griffin entered the offseason as the undisputed starter–there is no way to determine whether Griffin or Cousins would have won such a competition. If the starting job was up for grabs, Cousins would have had a chance to work with the first team offense against the Ravens’ first-team defense, and no one can say how that would have altered the evaluation.
  • Jean-Jacques Taylor of ESPNDallas.com reports that Cowboys owner Jerry Jones expects a decision from the league regarding a potential suspension for DT Josh Brent “imminently.” Jones has previously stated that the team will have a roster spot for Brent if the NFL allows him to play.
  • Ebenezer Samuel of the New York Daily News writes that undrafted free agent wideout Corey Washington has had a monster preseason for the Giants and has thrust himself into serious consideration for a roster spot.
  • Jordan Ranaan of NJ.com tweets that it will be a few days before a final diagnosis is made on Geoff Schwartz, and in a full-length piece Ranaan describes how the Giants might go about replacing him.
  • In a pair of articles, Paul Schwartz of the New York Post offers a little more on Schwartz, some Giants‘ roster machinations, and he describes the quality performances displayed by a few of the Giants’ younger players.
  • I rounded up a few Eagles links here.
  • In the wake of Alan Branch‘s recent arrest, Mike Rodak of ESPN.com reexamines the financial ramifications the Bills would face if they were to release Branch.
  • Marc Sessler of NFL.com writes that Bills coach Doug Marrone is open to shopping for a new backup quarterback. Ian Rapoport of NFL.com wonders (via Twitter) if the team would consider Luke McCown if he is cut by New Orleans, as the Saints and the Bills have a similar offensive system.
  • Ben Volin of the Boston Globe describes how the new practice squad rules could impact several players on the Patriots‘ roster bubble.
  • Shalise Manza Young of the Boston Globe provides a closer look on how the Patriots will pare their roster down to 75 players by Tuesday’s deadline.
  • The Jets released six players earlier today.

 

Minor Moves: Ravens, Bears, Steelers

The Ravens have signed former Michigan running back Fitz Toussaint, writes Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun. To create a roster spot, Baltimore waived-injured rookie outside linebacker Ryan Jones out of Montana Tech. Toussaint played at Michigan, rushing for 648 yards and 13 touchdowns as a senior last season. He also caught 18 passes for 203 yards for the Wolverines in 2013. Here are the rest of today’s minor moves..

  • The Bills released Western New York native Randy Colling, writes Chris Brown of BuffaloBills.com. The Gannon University product, who also has Arena League experience, was previously a defensive lineman but Buffalo was trying to transition him to offensive guard.
  • In addition to confirming the release of Derrick Martin, the Bears announced (via Twitter) that they have waived offensive tackle Rogers Gaines.
  • The Steelers took to Twitter to announce that they have released Nik Embernate and Kaycee Ike. Their spots have been filled by offensive lineman Emmanuel McCray and Deion Belue, whose acquisitions were disclosed earlier.
  • The Broncos have waived guard/tackle Ramon Harewood, tweets Adam Caplan of ESPN.com.
  • The Giants received wide receiver Corey Washington off waivers from the Cardinals, tweets Dan Graziano of ESPN.com. To make room for Washington, Big Blue waived offensive lineman Stephen Goodin.

 

Minor Moves: Steelers, 49ers, Saints, Cards

The Steelers announced that they have signed two of their draft picks: fifth-round offensive lineman Wesley Johnson and sixth-round linebacker Jordan Zumwalt. Johnson, a 6’5″, 297 pound lineman out of Vanderbilt University, was taken with the 173rd overall pick and offers experience all over the O-line. Zumwalt, a UCLA product who stands at 6’4″ and 235 pounds, was the 192nd overall selection. He started 30 of 50 games played in his career, compiling 256 tackles (164 solo), two sacks, 22 tackles for loss, five forced fumbles, one fumble recovery, two interceptions and two blocked kicks. With the signings, Pittsburgh has now signed four of their nine selections from the 2014 NFL Draft. Here’s the rest of tonight’s minor moves..

  • The Cardinals are signing former Arizona State wide receiver Kevin Ozier to a three-year contract following a successful rookie minicamp, a source tells Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post. The Cardinals also signed tackle Cory Brandon to a two-year deal, his agent tells Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com (Twitter link), and they went on to announce the signings of cornerback Jimmy Legree and running back Jalen Parmele (link).
  • To make room for the above signings, the Cardinals cut LeQuan Lewis, Tim Cornett, Kadeem Williams, and Corey Washington, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun.
  • The 49ers announced that they signed fourth-round wide receiver Bruce Ellington. The No. 106 overall pick out of South Carolina finished last season with 106 catches for 1,586 yards and 16 touchdowns.
  • The Saints inked tackle Jason Weaver and waived receiver Chris Givens, writes Katherine Terrell of The Times-PIcayune. Weaver, a former Edna Karr player, signed with the Buccaneers as an undrafted rookie free agent in 2013 and spent training camp with the Bengals last year before spending the regular season on the Dolphins practice squad. Givens was signed as an undrafted rookie free agent in 2012 but never saw a regular season snap.
  • The Cowboys waived-injured Jarrod Pughsley and Evan Wilson to sign offensive guards Tyronne Green and Darius Morris, Wilson (of the Baltimore Sun).
  • The Rams signed wide receiver Diontae Spencer, according to Wilson (via Twitter). The McNeese State product had some interest in April but went undrafted.

Cardinals Announce 15 UDFA Signings

The Cardinals have signed 15 undrafted free agents, reports Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com.

Here are all of the Cardinals’ signings:

  • Zach Bauman, RB, Northern Arizona
  • Jonathan Brown, LB, Illinois (9K bonus, per Aaron Wilson)
  • Glenn Carson, LB, Penn State
  • Chandler Catanzaro, K, Clemson
  • Tim Cornett, RB, UNLV
  • Bruce Gaston, DT, Purdue
  • Kelvin Palmer, OT, Baylor
  • Kelsey Pope, WR, Samford
  • Justin Renfrow, DT, Miami
  • Brandon Sermons, CB, UCLA
  • Kevin Smith, WR, Washington
  • Anthony Steen, OG, Alabama ($12K bonus, per Wilson)
  • Corey Washington, WR, Newberry
  • Todd Washington, CB, Southeastern Louisiana
  • Kadeem Williams, OT, Albany