Tag: Al Blades Jr.

Former Duke defensive back Al Blades Jr. reportedly working out with New York Giants

According to a Wednesday social media report, former Duke defensive back Al Blades Jr. will work out for the New York Giants on Thursday.

Former Duke defensive back Al Blades Jr. will work out for the New York Giants on Thursday, according to a report from MLFootball on social media.

After five years with the Miami Hurricanes, Blades transferred to the Blue Devils for his final year of eligibility in 2023. He finished his lone Duke season with 42 total tackles, 13 more than any of his other collegiate seasons, and a personal-best nine pass deflections.

Blades’ most productive game in a Duke uniform, on paper, came against Florida State when he finished with eight total tackles on the road. He made seven total tackles against North Carolina and six against Louisville, a pretty impressive trifecta for his three best games. He finished his collegiate career with 138 total tackles and four interceptions.

Blades signed with the other New York team, the Jets, for the preseason. He finished his stint with the team with seven total tackles and a pass deflection.

Giants working out former standout Miami safety, others

The New York Giants will work out defensive backs Al Blades Jr. and Jason Maitre on Thursday, and likely several others.

Most practice squad decisions for 2024 and all waiver wire claims have been processed. Not all of the announcements have been made, but that’s not stopping the New York Giants from continuing to look for fringe players to add to the roster.

To that end, the Giants will work out former Miami safety Al Blades Jr., and former Wisconsin Badger Jason Maitre.

Blades signed with the New York Jets as an undrafted free agent on May 3, 2024. During the preseason, he recorded seven tackles (three solo) and one pass defensed. The Jets waived Blades on Tuesday as part of their 53-man roster cuts and he cleared waivers today.

In addition to Blades, the Giants will also host cornerback Jason Maitre for a workout this week.

Maitre signed with the Miami Dolphins as an undrafted free agent in May. He appeared in all three preseason games for the Dolphins and recorded seven solo tackles. Maitre was waived by the Dolphins on Tuesday and cleared waivers on Wednesday.

Since the final 53-man rosters have been submitted and all practice squad and waiver claims have been processed, players who remain without a team become unrestricted free agents. This means they can work out for any team and sign with any team at any time. Any team that signs a player from this point forward will have to cut a current player to make room on the roster.

The Giants desperately need to add depth to their secondary, so we’ll see what they say after the workouts end.

Expect additional names to surface as part of a larger workout group.

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