Tag: Chris Williamson

Titans place Daniel Munyer on IR among 4 moves

The Titans made four roster moves on Wednesday.

The Tennessee Titans made four roster moves during their off day from training camp on Wednesday.

The team announced it has placed backup center Daniel Munyer on Injured Reserve and waived cornerback Chris Williamson with an injury designation after both players suffered undisclosed injuries during Tuesday’s practice.

In corresponding moves, the Titans inked offensive lineman Willie Wright and former USFL defensive back Terrell Bonds, who also played at Tennessee State.

Wright, who can play both guard and center, went undrafted out of Tulsa in 2019 and has spent time with the Cleveland Browns, Atlanta Falcons and Chicago Bears, but has never played in a regular season game.

Bonds has spent time with both the Baltimore Ravens and Miami Dolphins during his NFL career, appearing in four games for the former in 2020.

He then went on to play for the Pittsburgh Maulers of the USFL in 2021, playing in 10 games and totaling 18 tackles and one interception.

Both Wright and Bonds will have an uphill climb in making the roster.

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Lions sign LB Curtis Bolton, TE Jared Pinkney in flurry of roster moves

Curtis Bolton, Jared Pinkney and Jashon Cornell are now all on the 53-man roster after a plethora of moves on Tuesday

It was a very busy day on the NFL’s transaction wire on Tuesday around the league. The Detroit Lions contributed their fair share of roster moves to the log.

To sum it up briefly, the Lions:

Signed LB Curtis Bolton and TE Jared Pinkney to the active 53-man roster

Activated DE Jashon Cornell from the reserve/non-football injury list

Signed WR Juwan Green and TE Ross Travis to the practice squad

Placed LB Josh Woods on injured reserve

Placed TE Brock Wright on the reserve/COVID-19 list

Released CB Chris Williamson from the practice squad

Bolton comes up from the Lions’ own practice squad. He’s played over 30 snaps on special teams as a practice squad elevation the last two weeks. The inside backer will take the place of Woods, who started in Week 14 before getting hurt in the Week 15 matchup against Arizona. His season is over due to his neck injury.

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Pinkney was signed off the Los Angeles Rams’ practice squad to the active 53-man roster. He did spend three weeks in September on the Lions practice squad before emigrating to the Rams.

With Wright going on the reserve/COVID-19 list and the earlier move sending Shane Zylstra to the injured reserve, Pinkney is the only tight end on the active roster and projects to start against the Seahawks in Week 16. He is in his second NFL season as an undrafted free agent from Vanderbilt.

Perhaps the most eye-catching move is Cornell. A 2020 7th-round pick from Ohio State, Cornell has been on the field for just four snaps in two seasons. He’s battled injuries, a three-game NFL suspension and recently the lengthy stint on the NFI list. Cornell flashed quite a bit of pass-rush potential in the summer of 2021 when he was healthy.

Falcons sign DB Chris Williamson to practice squad

The Atlanta Falcons have added a new face to their 16-man practice squad, signing defensive back Chris Williamson on Wednesday.

The Atlanta Falcons have added a new face to their 16-man practice squad, signing defensive back Chris Williamson on Wednesday. Originally drafted by the New York Giants in the seventh round of the 2020 NFL Draft out of Minnesota, Williamson has spent most of the season on the Giants practice squad.

 

Williamson’s teammate at Minnesota, rookie safety Antoine Winfield Jr., is having a breakout season for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Both players had success playing in the Golden Gophers’ secondary.

Over the course of his college career, Williamson racked up 96 tackles, 3.5 sacks and two interceptions. To make room for the former Minnesota standout on the practice squad, the Falcons released DB Shyheim Carter on Tuesday.

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Giants terminate practice squad contract of Chris Williamson

The New York Giants have terminated the practice squad contract off rookie DB Chris Williamson.

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In preparation for the likely signing of either Alex Tanney or Joe Webb (potentially both), the New York Giants terminated the practice squad contract of rookie defensive back Chris Williamson on Thursday.

The Giants selected Williamson in the seventh round of the 2020 NFL Draft out of Minnesota and intended on using him as somewhat of a Swiss Army Knife defender. However, he never made it off the practice squad despite the team’s early issues in the secondary.

“This is a guy who’s going to have some combination corner to safety. We call it the star position, that nickel position as well. He’ll bring some position flexibility in the defensive backfield. He’s got a good size and speed combination. We look for him to compete at multiple positions this year,” head coach Joe Judge said in April.

Given how much roster shuffling has gone on this season, do not be surprised if Williamson eventually signed back with the Giants. In the mean time, keep an eye out for the addition of Tanney and/or Webb.

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Giants protect Sean Chandler, three other practice squad players

The New York Giants have filed the protections of four practice squad players, including safety Sean Chandler.

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The New York Giants filed the protections of four practice squad players with the NFL on Tuesday, including safety Sean Chandler.

In addition to Chandler, the Giants also protected long snapper Carson Tinker, kicker/punter Ryan Santoso and rookie defensive back Chris Williamson.

Chandler originally signed with the Giants as an undrafted rookie out of Temple in 2018 and has appeared in 31 games for the team.

Tinker was signed in early September and waived as a part of final cuts before being added to the practice squad, while Santoso was signed to the practice squad on September 6.

Williamson was a seventh-round pick of the Giants in the 2020 NFL Draft.

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2020 Giants training camp: Ranking rookies in terms of importance

As the New York Giants embark on their 2020 training camp journey, Giants Wire ranks all of their rookies in terms of importance.

The New York Giants are likely to have anywhere from 10 to 12 rookies on their 2020 roster. They used all of their 10 choices and went and signed a few undrafted players as well this spring.

Here’s a list of those players in the order of their importance (from most to least).

Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

Andrew Thomas, offensive tackle

The fourth overall selection out of Georgia this year is a complete tackle who plays the run and pass protects very well. He can play both the left and the right side. He becomes the most important rookie now that the starting left tackle, Nate Solder, has opted out for this year. The Giants ideally would love to see Andrew Thomas come in at left tackle and own the position from Day 1 and never look back.

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Giants roster outlook: Upgrades, downgrades or lateral moves on defense

Giants Wire examines the New York Giants defense and the changes made this offseason, offering a verdict on each unit.

The New York Giants went into the offseason knowing they had to make some changes on their 25th ranked defense.

General manager Dave Gettleman used his free agent money and seven of his 10 draft picks in an attempt to revamp and revive a group that simply allowed way too many easy scores to opponents in 2019.

Here is a quick rundown on each unit as training camp begins

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Defensive line

Gained: Austin Johnson

Lost: Olsen Pierre

The Giants’ big move was made last October when they traded two draft choices to the Jets for Leonard Williams, an impending free agent. They could not come to an agreement this offseason, so they applied the franchise tag to retain Williams at a price of $16.1 million. He’ll be a starter along with Dalvin Tomlinson and Dexter Lawrence. B.J. Hill, R.J McIntosh and Chris Slayton are returning as well. Johnson will provide some veteran depth.

Verdict: Slight upgrade

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PFF ranks Giants’ secondary among worst in the NFL

Pro Football Focus has ranked the New York Giants’ secondary among the very worst in the NFL.

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In recent years, the New York Giants have had major roster turnover in their secondary. They have moved on from familiar names such as Landon Collins, Janoris Jenkins and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie.

Now with an extremely young developing core, Pro Football Focus has ranked the Giants as 27th best secondary in the league.

James Bradberry is the big offseason addition to the Giants secondary, and while it’s true that few cornerbacks have had a tougher job over the past few seasons, given the division in which he has had to ply his trade, he’s also never quite lived up to the potential we saw as a rookie. Bradberry has consistently generated PFF grades in the 60s but has a rare skill set and should immediately look significantly better without needing to try and cover the likes of Julio Jones and Mike Evans twice a season.

DeAndre Baker struggled badly as a rookie and was beaten for eight touchdowns in total, though his future is somewhat up in the air, given the reported off-field troubles. Beyond Baker, the Giants would be turning to Sam Beal, who played fewer than 300 snaps last year, or one of either Corey Ballentine, Darnay Holmes, Chris Williamson or Montre Hartage. So, for as much as Baker struggled last year, the prospects of a season without him would not be good.

Interestingly, PFF does not project Holmes to compete on the inside, which is precisely what he’ll do entering the 2020 season.

On the inside, Grant Haley was the team’s slot corner in 2019, but he earned a PFF coverage grade of 48.3 and was beaten for a passer rating of 114.2 when targeted. And at safety, Antoine Bethea has now gone, leaving Julian Love to try and fight off rookie Xavier McKinney for playing time alongside Jabril Peppers. McKinney has elite versatility and was used much the same way as Clemson’s Isaiah Simmons, though McKinney does come without the absurd size and measurables. Love played well last season, so it would be unfortunate if he were to lose time this year.

The Giants are loaded with potential, but only time will tell if their young core turns out to be viable starters in the league.

This offseason, the Giants addressed a position of need when they signed cornerback James Bradberry in free agency. Originally DeAndre Baker was slotted to be the No. 2 cornerback behind Bradberry. Baker struggled early on in his rookie year but improved down the stretch of last season. However, now, Baker’s status is very much up in the air following his alleged legal trouble which landed him on the commissioner’s exempt list.

Past that there are certainly a ton of question marks surrounding young players at the cornerback position. Having said that, there are many believe that Big Blue got an absolute steal when they drafted Darnay Holmes out of UCLA in the fourth round of this year’s draft. In fact, there have been some pretty high-profile names who have raved about Holmes.

At the safety positions, the Giants hope they can continue to develop their young core. They acquired Jabrill Pepper in the trade that sent Odell Beckham Jr. to the Browns and Peppers played well in his first season with Big Blue.

Xavier McKinney is another player that many felt the Giants got a lot of value with when they drafted him in the second round of this year’s draft. McKinney is a very versatile safety that can be moved around all over on defense. Between Peppers and McKinney, many believe the Giants have a young core to build around at the safety position.

Overall, the Giants’ secondary is extremely young so the rank given by PFF is understandable. With the uncertainty surrounding DeAndre Baker, don’t be surprised if they Giants add a veteran to help their secondary before the season starts.

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Giants training camp preview: What to expect in the secondary

The New York Giants have a lot of young talent, but also quite a few question marks in their secondary entering training camp.

New York Giants general manager Dave Gettleman has made major changes to the team’s roster (like it or not) since his arrival at the end of the 2017 season. Every unit — every position — has undergone some type of reconstruction, but no unit has experienced a greater overhaul than the secondary.

Gettleman has used both free agency and the draft to reform a unit that has been one of the NFL’s most yielding and forgiving the past several seasons.

Here’s a quick look at what to expect this summer at training camp.

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Cornerback

Gettleman reached into free agency and grabbed “young veteran” James Bradberry, a player he drafted during his days as GM in Carolina, signing him to a three-year, $43.5 million deal. He will be a starter on the outside. The 26-year-old Bradberry is considered one of the best all-around corners in the NFL.

Who will start across from Bradberry? Good question. It was thought to be DeAndre Baker, who the Giants have their fingers crossed could mature into a solid cover corner after a rough rookie season. But he’s still dealing with his legal problems in Florida. Even if that situation pans out, you can’t unring a bell. Baker could still be suspended and the Giants could see him as expendable.

Baker is still going to have to compete with a fairly large field of contenders for the job this summer as it is. Sam Beal, Corey Ballentine, Darnay Holmes, Chris Williamson and veteran Montre Hartage are all aiming for playing time and will give Baker a good run for his money.

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Can Chris Williamson be 2020 version of Darius Slayton?

New York Giants WR Darius Slayton was a successful Day 3 pick and his childhood friend, Chris Williamson, might end up being the same.

The majority of NFL rosters are mainly comprised of Day 3 draft picks (Rounds 4-7) and undrafted free agents. The New York Giants had seven Day 3 picks in the 2020 NFL Draft and are high on all of them. They also signed another dozen and a half players after the draft.

One player that seems to be standing out, however, is Chris Williamson, a cornerback out of Minnesota that general manager Dave Gettleman selected with the 247th pick in Round 7.

Williamson has a relationship with wide receiver Darius Slayton, a Day 3 selection in last year’s draft, that dates back to their childhood days in Georgia when they were on opposite sides of a championship game for nine-year-olds.

Slayton was a pleasant surprise last season, forging an on-field relationship with rookie quarterback Daniel Jones and leading the team with eight touchdown catches.

Can Williamson be this year’s version of Slayton? Joe Harasymiak, Williamson’s position coach at Minnesota, told The Post he believes so.

“He is the one in the meeting room that keeps the energy going,” Harasymiak said. “If he knows he can joke with you and bust on you, he is going to. He will be a great teammate.”

Williamson’s versatile on-field ability equates to a player who can adapt to whatever the Giants’ coaches need him to do.

“He’s got feet like a corner, he’s built like an inside slot nickel and he can cover from depth as a safety. He’s really physical fitting the run. He’s not going to shy away from contact. When he learns something, he is really good mentally. He got better and better every game once he found his role,” he said.

And his role will likely be as a reserve and special teamer at first, but don’t be surprised if Williamson sees more playing time as the season unfolds.

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