HEADLINES

Rusty Smith

Giants Sign 10 UDFAs, Cut Five Players

May 15th, 2014 at 4:26pm CST by Luke Adams

THURSDAY, 4:26pm: USC tight end Xavier Grimble has also joined the Giants’ rookie free agent class, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun.

TUESDAY, 1:54pm: The Giants have cut defensive back Chaz Powell and announced another four UDFA additions, according to a team release. Here are the newest Giants’ signings:

  • Charles Barnett, S, Ohio State
  • Emmanuel Dieke, DE, Georgia Tech ($7.5K bonus and $7.5K in other guarantees, per Aaron Wilson)
  • Dan Fox, LB, Notre Dame
  • Jordan Stanton, DE, James Madison

MONDAY, 4:47pm: The Giants have announced a series of roster moves, including a first step toward paring down the excess of quarterbacks on the depth chart. According to a press release, the team has released QB Rusty Smith and waived linebacker Allen Bradford, cornerback Junior Mertile and punter Jordan Gay. New York also signed five undrafted free agents.

Smith, a former Titan, inked a deal with the Giants last month shortly after the team added Josh Freeman to the roster to complement Eli Manning, Ryan Nassib, and Curtis Painter. He’ll immediately become an unrestricted free agent, while the other players will have to pass through waivers.

Here are the Giants’ five UDFA signings:

  • Justin Anderson, LB, Louisiana-Lafayette
  • Thomas Gordon, S, Michigan
  • Eathyn Manumaleuna, DT BYU
  • Kelcy Quarles, DT, South Carolina
  • Kerry Wynn, DE, Richmond

Giants Sign Rusty Smith

April 28th, 2014 at 10:11am CST by Luke Adams

Not long after signing Josh Freeman to a one-year contract, the Giants have added another free agent quarterback. According to a press release, the team has signed former Titan Rusty Smith.

Smith, a sixth-round draft pick in 2010, spent the first four seasons of his NFL career in Tennessee, appearing in just three games for the Titans (two in 2010, one in 2012). The 27-year-old was shaky in what little action he saw, completing just 51.1% of his passes and throwing four interceptions with no touchdowns.

Considering the Giants are already pretty well-stocked at the quarterback position, Smith looks like a long shot to make the club’s regular-season roster. In addition to Freeman and starter Eli Manning, the Giants are also carrying Curtis Painter and Ryan Nassib. With Manning recovering from ankle surgery, more bodies were needed for the offseason program, but New York will have to pare down its depth chart at some point before the season begins.

Extra Points: 49ers, Mack, Smith, Savage

April 17th, 2014 at 9:33pm CST by Zachary Links

After years of having one of the most ideal salary cap situations in the NFL, the 49ers are finally beginning to feel some strains from success, writes Jason Fitzgerald of Over The Cap. All things considered, the Niners weren’t expected to do much and they really didn’t in the end. Fitzgerald gives them a C for their work this winter while knocking them a bit for taking on Blaine Gabbert‘s $2MM salary and “wasting” some cap space. Here’s tonight’s look around the NFL..

  • Buffalo outside linebacker Khalil Mack is scheduled to visit the Falcons next week, a source tells Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com. Although Mack is viewed by most as a top-five pick and the Falcons own the sixth overall selection, they are doing extensive homework on all the top prospects that could possibly be available to them and fill their biggest needs: offensive tackle and pass-rusher.
  • Former Titans quarterback Rusty Smith had a tryout with the Saints, tweets Howard Balzer of USA Today Sports. The Giants also auditioned the signal-caller earlier this month. Smith, 27, appeared in three games for the Titans between 2010 and 2012, throwing no touchdowns and four interceptions.
  • Pittsburgh quarterback Tom Savage has been invited to New York for the draft and Mark Kaboly of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review (on Twitter) sees that as a sign that he’s a virtual lock for the second round.
  • Ohio state running back Carlos Hyde had a private workout with the Falcons today, tweets Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com.

Pre-Draft Visits: Garopollo, Cooks, Lee

April 4th, 2014 at 7:44pm CST by Rob DiRe

The Browns brought Eastern Illinois quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo in for a private visit earlier today, writes Jeff Schudel of the Morning Journal (he writes March 4, but he most likely means April 4). Schudel examines the idea of the Browns selecting a position other than quarterback at the top of the first round, and looking to grab the rookie signal caller with the 26th pick in the first round, or the third pick in round two.

Schudel writes that Browns star receiver Josh Gordon believes the team will take a quarterback with the fourth pick, and that Teddy Bridgewater would be his choice.

Here are some notes from some other pre-draft visits:

  • Oregon State wide receiver Brandin Cooks is visiting the Jets, according to Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News (via Twitter). Cooks also has received interest from the Patriots and the Panthers.
  • In addition to Cooks, the Patriots have expressed interest in receivers Marqise Lee of USC, Mike Evans of Texas A&M, Odell Beckham Jr. of LSU, and Kelvin Benjamin of Florida State, according to Doug Kyed of NESN (via Twitter).
  • The Saints have scheduled a visit with Lee, but have not yet set a date to meet with Cooks, reports Larry Holder of NOLA.com (via Twitter).
  • The Giants worked out quarterback Rusty Smith, reports Howard Balzer of LockerDome.com (via Twitter). Smith appeared in three games for the Titans between 2010 and 2012, throwing no touchdowns and four interceptions.
  • Balzer also notes that Kurt Coleman visited the Colts, and while he is not an ideal candidate to replace the departed Antoine Bethea, he could add depth to the safety position