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Darnay Holmes

Raiders Waive DT Byron Young

August 28th, 2024 at 9:07pm CST by Ben Levine

The Raiders moved on from a recent draft pick today. Per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the team has waived 2023 third-round defensive tackle Byron Young. The team also signed cornerback Darnay Holmes, per Vincent Bonsignore of the Las Vegas Review-Journal. The team wasn’t done adding, as the Raiders claimed defensive tackle Jonah Laulu off waivers from the Colts and safety Thomas Harper off waivers from the Chargers, according to ESPN’s Paul Gutierrez.

Following a standout college career at Alabama, Young was selected by the Raiders with the No. 70 pick in the 2023 draft. He barely saw the field as a rookie, appearing in only 99 defensive snaps in six games. Still, after having to start his first training camp on PUP, there was hope he’d take a step forward with a full offseason program. Instead, the defensive lineman will have to resume his career elsewhere.

He’ll be replaced on the roster by Laulu, who was cut by the Colts yesterday. The rookie seventh-round pick split his college career between Hawaii and Oklahoma. The team also added Harper, a UDFA out of Oklahoma State University and Notre Dame.

Holmes’ stint with the Giants came to an end earlier this week. The former fourth-round pick had spent his entire career in New York, starting 11 of his 54 appearances. Despite getting into a career-high 16 games in 2023, the cornerback was limited to a career-low 123 defensive snaps. He re-signed with the organization this past offseason, but he didn’t end up making it through final cuts with the Giants.

In more corresponding moves, the team waived rookie CB M.J. Devonshire and placed CB Brandon Facyson on injured reserve (per Gutierrez). Facyson was at one time competing for the team’s CB2 role, but the cornerback was sidelined for most of the preseason with an undisclosed injury. The former UDFA was limited to only three appearances with the Raiders in 2023, but he had 55 tackles during his first stint with the organization in 2021.

Giants Place Isaiah McKenzie On IR, Move Roster To 53

August 27th, 2024 at 8:07pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here is how the Giants moved down to the 53-man limit today:

Released:

Waived:

Waived/injured:

Placed on season-ending IR:

Placed on IR/return:

Just as the NFL greenlit a full-on kickoff revamp, McKenzie is out of the picture in New York. Signing with the Giants this year and completing a reunion with ex-Bills staffers Joe Schoen and Brian Daboll, McKenzie has been a return man and slot receiver for seven seasons. This transaction, unlike the Adams designation, will knock the 5-foot-7 cog out for the year. McKenzie only received $75K guaranteed.

McKenzie joins Hodgins among the players not currently in the mix for the team. The Giants received good value from the former waiver claim, who was a Bills teammate of McKenzie’s under Daboll earlier his career. They brought him back after non-tendering him as an RFA in March, and he and Robinson were battling for back-end receiver jobs. The Giants kept Bryce Ford-Wheaton, a 2023 UDFA, over Hodgins. Considering Hodgins’ past with Daboll, it would not surprise to see New York circle back with a potential practice squad invite. Though, the fifth-year veteran might have other options.

Beavers was viewed as a potential inside linebacker starter in 2023, but Micah McFadden ended up beating out the former sixth-round pick. Beavers played in only two games last season. Cager also was considered a contender to be one of the Giants’ receiving tight ends, but the converted wideout fell short. Daniel Bellinger and fourth-round rookie Theo Johnson are leading the way post-Darren Waller.

Giants To Release Allen Robinson, Tre Herndon, Darnay Holmes

August 27th, 2024 at 9:38am CST by Sam Robinson

Allen Robinson‘s bid to make the Giants’ initial 53-man roster will come up short. The Giants are releasing the veteran wideout, per NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero. They are the second team to cut Robinson this year, as the Steelers did the same.

The Giants are also cutting cornerbacks Darnay Holmes and Tre Herndon, according to ESPN.com’s Jordan Raanan. Holmes had re-signed with the team this offseason, while Herndon — a six-year Jaguars contributor — joined the team late in its offseason program.

Robinson’s stints with the Jaguars and Bears included a total of three 1,100-yard campaigns and only one season featuring signficant missed time through injury. In recent years, however, he has been unable to find a permanent home. The 31-year-old failed to live up to expectations during a single season with the Rams, leading to his trade to the Steelers. 2023 did not result in a productive campaign (280 scoreless yards on 34 catches), however, and despite a lack of proven receivers Pittsburgh moved on.

Robinson has made it clear he intends to continue his career for several more seasons, but the fact he was unable to land a 53-man roster spot in New York is certainly not an encouraging sign. He will be free to join any interested team on the open market, although without being a special teams contributor the former Pro Bowler’s path to a gig is strictly as a complementary wideout. Robinson’s only guaranteed money from the Giants was a $25K signing bonus.

In the build-up to cutdowns, it was learned New York would likely be a suitor for a cornerback addition. As a result, it comes as no surprise Holmes and Herndon are being let go to clear out space for new options. The former has spent his entire career as a Giant, making 54 appearances and 11 starts (none of which came last season). The latter, meanwhile, has only played in Jacksonville to date but his time in New York has proven to be short-lived.

Deonte Banks is a locked in CB starter for the Giants, but questions remain with respect to who will handle first-team duties opposite him in 2024. A player capable of handling a starter’s workload will likely not be available in the coming days, but a depth move or two should now be expected.

Adam La Rose contributed to this post. 

Giants To Re-Sign CB Darnay Holmes

March 20th, 2024 at 1:21pm CST by Sam Robinson

Although Darnay Holmes‘ contract year featured a reduced role, the Giants still have him in their 2024 plans. The Giants are re-signing the veteran cornerback, according to ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler.

Primarily operating as a slot corner during his rookie contract, Holmes accepted a rare rookie-deal pay cut going into last season and then saw the Giants turn to other options ahead of him in the slot. The former fourth-round pick still held a special teams role, and the Giants will keep him around for potential depth.

[RELATED: Giants To Meet With Tre’Davious White]

After working as the Giants’ primary slot corner in 2022 (572 snaps), Holmes ceded time to 2022 third-rounder Cor’Dale Flott last season. Holmes, 25, saw action on just 123 defensive snaps in his contract year. While Darius Slayton was able to bounce back from his rookie-deal pay cut, Holmes could not recapture his role. But the Giants still value him. And they face more questions at corner now.

The team is not expected to re-sign Adoree’ Jackson, who played out a three-year contract. Two years remain on Flott’s rookie contract, though the Giants’ plan of sliding Jackson into the slot and playing Tre Hawkins opposite Deonte Banks did not last long. Jackson returned to a boundary role following Hawkins’ benching.

Holmes, whom Pro Football Focus rated as one of the NFL’s worst CB regulars in 2022, may not be a front-burner option to hold a regular role again. The multiyear regular he will supply some depth as the Giants assemble another crew around Banks.

Giants CB Darnay Holmes Agrees To Pay Cut

August 28th, 2023 at 12:36pm CST by Adam La Rose

Darnay Holmes‘ roster security has been a talking point for much of the offseason. To little surprise, the Giants corner will remain with the team, but at a reduced rate.

Holmes is taking a pay cut, per The Athletic’s Dan Duggan. Financial details are unknown at this point, but the news means the 25-year-old will see less than the $2.74MM he was initially owed in 2023, the final year of his rookie contract. Releasing him would have taken his full salary off the books, which would have been an appealing move for the Giants given their cap situation.

Nonetheless, since the club is apparently prepared to deploy two rookie CBs — Deonte Banks and Tre Hawkins — on the boundaries while moving Adoree’ Jackson into the slot for the first time in his career, it makes sense to have additional veteran help on hand. If Jackson does not adapt well to the nickel, where Holmes played in 2022, then Holmes could take his place. Likewise, if Hawkins should struggle in his first taste of professional action and the club is forced to move Jackson back outside the numbers, Holmes would presumably be called upon to take over in the slot.

The Giants are also rostering 2022 third-rounder Cor’Dale Flott, who appeared in 11 games (six starts) in his rookie season, as well as onetime Lions standout Amani Oruwariye. 2021 third-rounder Aaron Robinson is a likely candidate for the reserve/PUP list, which will force him to miss at least the first four games of the 2023 season.

Rory Parks contributed to this post.

Giants Work Out William Jackson; Latest On Team’s CB Plans

August 22nd, 2023 at 7:57pm CST by Sam Robinson

Using two rookie starters at cornerback has surfaced as a potential Giants strategy, with sixth-rounder Tre Hawkins impressing during his first NFL training camp. But the team is still on the hunt for help at the position.

William Jackson is on the Giants’ radar, per Aaron Wilson of KPRC2, who adds a workout is scheduled (Twitter link). Teams are checking in on the former first-round pick. Jackson, 30, met with the Ravens earlier this month. The workout occurred Tuesday, Ryan Dunleavy of the New York Post notes.

After Don Martindale‘s former team took a look at the ex-Bengals starter, the second-year Giants DC will determine a fit. Jackson worked as an NFC East starter in 2021, but a disastrous 2022 tanked his value. The Commanders benched Jackson early and then traded him to the Steelers — for a low-end return that ended up not conveying — at the deadline. With Ronald Darby signing for just $1.7MM, it would surprise if Jackson were able to secure more than the veteran minimum given his most recent season.

Washington inked Jackson to a three-year, $40.5MM deal in 2021. A 48-game starter with the Bengals, Jackson loomed as one of the top free agents on a 2021 market impacted by the COVID-19-induced salary cap reduction. The veteran still cashed in, but the tide turned for him early in 2022. Commanders DC Jack Del Rio benched Jackson in Week 5, leading to the trade to Pittsburgh. A back injury, however, kept him from suiting up for the Steelers. Although they designated Jackson for return ahead of a potential Week 18 win-and-in game, Jackson was never activated. He received his walking papers in March.

Hawkins is not a lock to start for the Giants, but first-rounder Deonte Banks is. Banks is set to join Adoree’ Jackson in the Giants’ lineup. The Giants have experimented with Jackson in the slot during camp, a configuration that would allow Martindale to use Banks and Hawkins on the outside. The team has two slot options — in Darnay Holmes and 2022 third-rounder Cor’Dale Flott — as well, but the Dunleavy adds the Giants going with a Banks-Hawkins-Jackson trio to start the season remains in play. This would be an interesting ask of Jackson, a career-long boundary corner, and shine a spotlight on Hawkins.

Additionally, Aaron Robinson, a Week 1 starter last season, remains on the team’s active/PUP list due to the knee injury he sustained early in the year. Robinson remaining on the PUP list after the Giants finalize their roster on August 29 would mean a mandatory four absences to start the season. Considering Robinson has not practiced yet, that scenario seems likely.

CB Rumors: Jackson, Lions, Jaguars, Apple

August 9th, 2023 at 2:18pm CST by Sam Robinson

Adoree’ Jackson served as the Giants‘ No. 1 cornerback last season, his second with the team. Despite coming off injury, Jackson fared well against Justin Jefferson in the Giants’ wild-card win. But the team is experimenting on a potential shift in the veteran’s role during training camp. Jackson has seen extensive time in the slot in camp, and Pat Leonard of the New York Daily News notes the prospect of Jackson in the slot and Deonte Banks and Tre Hawkins outside is viable.

The Titans used Jackson as an outside corner during his Tennessee tenure, and the Giants stationed Darnay Holmes in the slot last year. They also drafted Cor’Dale Flott as a slot option in last year’s third round. But Holmes has struggled during camp, per Leonard. Hawkins, chosen in the sixth round out of Old Dominion, does not have slot experience. Jackson’s willingness as a tackler would benefit the Giants if they followed through on this, though the move is not set in stone. Holmes still operated as the team’s lead slot defender in a joint practice against the Lions on Wednesday, Dan Duggan of The Athletic tweets. Hawkins being in consideration for a regular role would be notable for a Giants team that struggled for CB depth last year.

Here is the latest from NFL secondaries:

  • Emmanuel Moseley‘s cleanup procedure on the ACL he tore last year has led to an unexpected delay in his return. Moseley reported to camp late due to the surgery, and the Lions placed the free agent signing on the active/PUP list. While Dan Campbell said last week the team expected Moseley back soon, the Detroit Free Press’ Dave Birkett notes no timetable exists for the ex-49er’s return, adding that he may not be a lock to start the season on time. This surgery has provided another delay for Moseley, who signed a one-year, $6MM deal that came with $2MM guaranteed. Campbell confirmed Moseley’s absence to start camp was excused.
  • Fellow UFA addition Cameron Sutton and Jerry Jacobs have worked as Detroit’s starting cornerbacks in camp, and while the return of Moseley will give the Lions another starter-level corner, rookie UDFA Starling Thomas has made enough of an impression that Birkett added he is a good bet to make the 53-man roster. He of a 4.28-second 40-yard dash at UAB’s pro day, Thomas has been running with the Lions’ second-stringers at corner alongside Will Harris.
  • Few battles for starting spots are transpiring in Jacksonville, but the Jaguars are holding one at nickel corner. Despite bringing back Tre Herndon on another one-year deal, the Jags are pitting the sixth-year veteran against several players for the slot role. Second-year players Gregory Junior (Round 6) and Montaric Brown (Round 7) join sixth- and seventh-round rookies Erick Hallett and Christian Braswell in vying for this job, per Michael DiRocco of ESPN.com. Fifth-round safety Antonio Johnson has mixed in here as well. Herndon re-signed on a fully guaranteed $2.58MM deal. Formerly surpassing 900 defensive snaps in back-to-back years, Herndon finished with just 416 last season.
  • Eli Apple‘s Dolphins deal is worth $1.6MM over one season, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald notes. Incentives could take the veteran corner’s contract up to $2.28MM. While the $1.6MM is not entirely guaranteed, the former top-10 pick received a $250K signing bonus.

Latest On Giants’ Slot CB Competition

July 3rd, 2023 at 1:11pm CST by Adam La Rose

Earlier this offseason, it appeared the Giants were prepared to try Cor’Dale Flott as a perimeter corner, despite his experience coming from the slot. A change to that approach has taken place, which could affect more than just the second-year pro.

Flott shared first-team snaps at the slot corner position with Darnay Holmes during spring practices, as detailed by Dan Duggan of The Athletic (subscription required). The up-and-down nature of the latter’s career to date has seen him play between 37% and 59% of defensive snaps across his three years in the league, the majority of which have come in the slot.

The former fourth-rounder’s clearest path to retaining the starting slot role likely would have been Flott earning a full-time gig as a boundary corner. The fact that he is slated to once again play on the inside, however, could leave Holmes in danger of failing to make the roster at his current cost. Entering the final year of his rookie contract, the UCLA product is set carry a cap hit of $2.9MM this season, and the Giants (who hold the fourth-least cap space at the moment) would see $2.7MM in savings by cutting or trading him.

In light of that, along with the fact that he was drafted by the current front office led by GM Joe Schoen, Duggan names Flott as the likely favorite to win out the starting role on the inside. The third-rounder made 11 appearances (six starts) as a rookie, totaling 26 tackles, two pass breakups and a forced fumble. An expanded workload could yield an uptick in production, something which would in turn help a Giants secondary which ranked middle of the pack against the pass in 2022.

Training camp and the preseason will, of course, offer a clearer outlook of the Giants’ plans with Flott and Holmes. Given the financial downside to retaining the latter, it will be worth watching how the team continues to split usage rates between the two heading into their final roster decisions.

Giants Notes: Flott, McCloud, Cowden

June 4th, 2023 at 12:41pm CST by Rory Parks

Although they still have a need at wide receiver, we learned yesterday that the Giants are not presently expected to acquire free agent DeAndre Hopkins. With Hopkins eyeing a $15MM/year contract, and with New York boasting less than $4MM in cap room, much would have to change for the club’s interest in Hopkins to go beyond the exploratory stage.

Here are a few more Giants-related items:

  • As Ryan Dunleavy of the New York Post (subscription required) writes, the Giants believe that second-year pro Cor’Dale Flott — who was drafted as a slot corner — is better-suited to man the boundaries. That could mean that Darnay Holmes will reprise his role as the club’s primary slot defender, but the team could also gain much-needed cap space (about $2.5MM) by cutting Holmes. If Flott shows improvement as an inside option, or if UDFA Leonard Johnson should impress, Holmes may become a release/pay cut candidate.
  • The Giants lost safety Julian Love to the Seahawks in free agency this offseason, and as Dunleavy writes in a separate piece, Big Blue is shifting 2022 waiver claim Nick McCloud to safety on a full-time basis. Per Dunleavy, McCloud will compete with free agent signee Bobby McCain and incumbents Jason Pinnock and Dane Belton for the starting safety job alongside Xavier McKinney. McCloud, like Love, offers positional versatility and started eight games at corner in 2022, so even if he works primarily at safety, DC Wink Martindale may still use him elsewhere in the defensive backfield.
  • According to Dunleavy, first-round rookie Deonte Banks is now lining up as a starting boundary corner opposite Adoree’ Jackson after working with the second-team defense during the first week of OTAs.
  • The Giants recently added Ryan Cowden to their front office, and per the team’s official website, Cowden’s title will be executive advisor to the general manager. Cowden, who actually interviewed for New York’s GM job last year — a job that ultimately went to Joe Schoen — ended the 2022 campaign as the Titans’ interim GM, but Tennessee elected to hire Ran Carthon for the permanent gig. Cowden and Schoen worked together in the Panthers’ front office from 2000-07, so Schoen is adding a familiar and experienced sounding board to his personnel department.
  • Last week, we heard that the Giants and franchise-tagged running back Saquon Barkley are no closer to coming to terms on a long-term contract than they have ever been. It appears that guaranteed money is the biggest sticking point, though it is unclear what the Giants have offered in that regard, nor the degree to which those offers fall short of what Barkley might be seeking.

NFC East Notes: Giants, Mills, Eagles

August 9th, 2022 at 11:21am CST by Sam Robinson

The Giants continue to entertain the prospect of Brian Daboll not calling plays when the season opens. Offensive coordinator Mike Kafka will hold that responsibility in the team’s preseason opener Thursday, via the New York Post’s Ryan Dunleavy. Working behind Andy Reid and Eric Bieniemy as Chiefs quarterbacks coach, Kafka was not in a play-calling position in Kansas City. The former NFL backup QB also was not expected to be a play-calling OC, with Daboll being at the controls for Josh Allen‘s star turn. Daboll has not ruled out calling plays himself, but this matter being uncertain entering the preseason is an interesting development for the team.

Here is the latest from the NFC East:

  • Just before their preseason slate, the Commanders are making a staff change. Ron Rivera announced the firing of defensive line coach Sam Mills III. Assistant D-line coach Jeff Zgonina will move up, per Nicki Jhabvala of the Washington Post (on Twitter), with assistant DBs coach Brent Vielselmeyer set to help out. Mills, 44, has been with Rivera throughout his coaching career, beginning with the Panthers — the team with which his late father, the recently inducted Hall of Fame linebacker, retired — in 2005 and staying on for Rivera’s nine-season tenure (2011-19). Rivera brought Mills with him from Carolina in 2020, and the latter headed up a defensive line that did plenty to spark the team’s surprise playoff run that year. Rivera (via Jhabvala, on Twitter) described the separation as having to do with this offseason and training camp, rather than previous years’ performance.
  • Darius Slayton has gone from the Giants‘ 2019 and ’20 receiving leader to a trade candidate to a player in danger of being waived. While it should not be ruled out another team trades for the contract-year wide receiver, Dan Duggan of The Athletic notes it would be a surprise if Slayton was on the team’s 53-man roster (subscription required). Slayton was not receiving many first-team reps during the offseason, when much of Big Blue’s receiving corps was battling injuries, showed where this could be headed. He has continued to be a second- or third-teamer at camp. If cut, the former fifth-round pick will surely generate waiver-wire interest.
  • Darnay Holmes appears to have seized command of the Giants’ slot cornerback competition. Competing with third-round rookie Cor’Dale Flott, Holmes has taken every first-team rep at the position during camp, Duggan adds. Their configuration could change during the preseason, but the Giants look set to go with Holmes, Adoree’ Jackson and 2021 third-rounder Aaron Robinson at corner.
  • Jeremiah Washburn has been working as an Eagles coach and executive for a bit now, and this rare combination has since come with a promotion. Washburn is now in charge of Philadelphia’s edge defenders, being named the team’s defensive ends and outside linebackers coach. He was previously a senior defensive assistant. Washburn remains the team’s player personnel director. Alex Tanney is also rising up the Eagles’ staff, moving from the quality control level to the team’s assistant quarterbacks coach.
  • Cowboys national scout Drew Fabianich left for a job at Auburn recently, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. He will become the SEC program’s general manager and director of football scouting and development. Fabianich was with Dallas for nearly 20 years.
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