The New York Giants had some difficult decisions to make on Tuesday as they cut their roster down to 53 men. Among those decisions was that to cut preseason standout linebacker K.J. Cloyd.
The Giants were high on Cloyd after a strong summer of practices but had no room for him on their initial 53-man roster. Thankfully, they were able to retain Cloyd on their practice squad.
K.J. Cloyd signs with the Giants’ practice squad
According to Pat Leonard of the New York Daily News, Cloyd is signing with the Giants’ practice squad. Cloyd was expected to be a popular name among free agents who were released yesterday following a stellar preseason campaign. Thankfully, the G-Men were able to secure him for their practice squad before anyone else could poach the rookie linebacker.
Cloyd was an undrafted free agent this offseason who signed with Big Blue following a four-year collegiate career split between Louisville and Miami. In his final season, Cloyd appeared in 13 games for the Miami Hurricanes, totaling 44 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss, and two sacks.
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The Giants have plenty of depth at linebacker and had to release Cloyd despite an elite performance in the team’s final preseason game against the New York Jets. Cloyd racked up an insane 16 total tackles in the matchup and added two tackles for loss.
This standout performance from Cloyd would be enough to earn a roster spot on most teams, but considering the amount of depth New York has at the position, they were unable to make room for the rookie on the initial 53-man roster. His talent still made an impression on the coaching staff, however, and signing Cloyd to the practice squad was a priority. Cloyd is the first player to sign back with the Giants’ practice squad after being released on Tuesday.
