New York Giants claim three players off waivers, lose Connelly to Vikings

New York Giants, Adrian Colbert
August 10, 2019; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers free safety Adrian Colbert (27) leaves the field during the third quarter against the Dallas Cowboys at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

The New York Giants cut their roster from 80 to 53-men on Saturday afternoon, with the biggest surprise cut being linebacker Ryan Connelly. After having a successful start the 2019 season, Connelly went down with a torn ACL against the Washington Football team, which forced him out for the remainder of the campaign. Connelly represented a high upside player that could have influenced the 2020 season, especially with the lack of depth at the position for the Giants.

Ultimately, they elected to cut him and give the roster spot to a younger option. The Giants kept all four linebackers drafted this year on the roster. Nonetheless, the hopes were that Connelly would land on the practice squad, but was claimed by the Minnesota Vikings via the waiver wire on Sunday afternoon.

While some believed the Giants would take a flyer on wide receiver Hakeem Butler or cornerback Sidney Jones, they elected to go with smaller names that could fill simple roles. Keep in mind, the Giants have to make room for the three players they claimed off waiver on Sunday, so we can estimate Xavier Mckinney and David Mayo will be hitting injured reserve to open up two. One more player will have to be cut from the active roster.

Here’s a list of players who the New York Giants signed or placed on the practice squad:

S: Adrian Colbert

Colbert started five games and played in six with the Miami Dolphins last year, so his connection with defensive coordinator Patrick Graham makes sense. He tallied 22 combined tackles, two passes defended and held opposing pass catchers to a 33.3% completion rate against. While he did have a problematic 18.5% missed tackle rate, he has plenty of upside to unlock. He can also play on special teams, playing in 36% of defensive snaps back in 2017 with the San Francisco 49ers.

WR: Damion Ratley

Damion Ratley, who is a 6-foot-2 and 200-pound wide receiver out of Texas A&M, spent two years with the Cleveland Browns. At 25 years old, he’s looking to increase his role with a new team, hopefully being the Giants. He logged 200 yards and one touchdown last year on a 50% catch rate. I think he is more of a special teams option, playing in 18% of special team snaps last year with the Browns. It is possible he competes with wide receiver Johnny Holton, who was added to the practice squad for a potential gunner role.

OL: Jackson Barton

Jackson Barton, who is formally out of Utah, was drafted in the seventh round last year by the Indianapolis Colts. There is some potential there at 6-foot-7 and 302 pounds as a big body at the line of scrimmage. He’s 25 years old and has decent physical attributes, which the Giants can activate with new offensive line coach Marc Colombo.

Lance Zierlein stated in his draft profile:

“He’s tough and has adequate strength to battle for position as a run blocker, but NFL opponents are sure to take advantage of his lack of leverage and his issues against inside moves and rush counters,” Zierlein notes of the 6-foot-7, 310-pound Barton. Helping matters none, the Utah product’s combine was a less-than-sparkly one, with Barton posting a composite SPARQ score landing him in just the 31st percentile of NFL offensive linemen.

Practice squad:

WR: Alex Bachman

OL: Kyle Murphy

LS: Carson Tinker

WR: Johnny Holton

OL: Tyler Haycraft

WR: Austin Mack

WR: Derrick Dillon

QB: Cooper Rush

DL: Niko Lalos