Tag: Clayton Thorson

4 quarterbacks the Saints could sign with Derek Carr on the mend

With Derek Carr injured and Jake Haener still suspended, the Saints could use another quarterback to round out the depth chart. Here are four realistic options:

With Derek Carr injured and Jake Haener still suspended, the New Orleans Saints could use another quarterback to round out the depth chart. Let’s not play dumb: Jameis Winston and Taysom Hill are going to stay on top and do their best to lead this team while Carr is on the mend. They aren’t going to find a new starter.

But it’s worth adding another passer to the practice squad to at least see the team through their next three games until Haener is reinstated, and maybe longer until Carr is cleared to return (if he’ll even be sidelined that long; right now, we just don’t know).

Depth is important, and these are four realistic options:

Ex-Giants Clayton Thorson, Kyle Lauletta selected in USFL draft

Three former New York Giants quarterbacks, including Clayton Thorson and Kyle Lauletta, were selected on Day 1 of the USFL Player Draft.

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The 35-round inaugural USFL Player Draft kicked off on Tuesday night in Birmingham, Alabama with 12 rounds — each specific to a single position — completed.

First up were the quarterbacks and at No. 5 overall, former New York Giants backup Clayton Thorson got the nod. He is headed to the Houston Gamblers.

The 26-year-old Thorson was originally signed by the Philadelphia Eagles as an undrafted rookie free agent in 2019. The former Northwestern star then spent two seasons with the Dallas Cowboys before joining the Giants in 2020.

Thorson spent two years with the Giants, but never appeared in a regular season game.

Two picks later at No. 7 overall, the Pittsburgh Maulers drafted ex-Giant Kyle Lauletta.

Lauletta was a fourth-round pick of the Giants in the 2018 NFL draft, but his career in East Rutherford was short-lived. He was waived as a part of final roster cuts in 2019 and went on to play for the Philadelphia Eagles, Atlanta Falcons, Cleveland Browns and Jacksonville Jaguars.

In two career games, both with the Giants, Lauletta went 0-for-5 passing and compiled -2 yards rushing (kneel down).

In addition to Thorson and Lauletta, former Giants quarterback Case Cookus (2020) was also selected by the Philadelphia Stars in Round 12.

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Giants sign Woodrow Hamilton to practice squad, protect four

The New York Giants have made a few practice squad transactions and protected four ahead of a Week 15 game against the Dallas Cowboys.

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The New York Giants announced on Tuesday that they have re-signed defensive tackle Woodrow Hamilton to their practice squad. He had previously been released back in late October.

The 28-year-old Hamilton, who signed with the New England Patriots as an undrafted rookie out of Ole Miss in 2016, is now in his third stint with the Giants. After starting his career with the Pats, he landed with the New Orleans Saints (2017-2018) before having a brief cup of coffee with New York in 2018.

The 6-foot-3, 315-pound Hamilton also had stints with the Carolina Panthers (2019-2020) and Tennessee Titans (2021).

Hamilton won a title alongside current Giants head coach Joe Judge in 2017, each of whom were with the Patriots at the time.

Over his six-year NFL career, Hamilton has appeared in nine games (one start) and recorded six tackles (three solo) and one fumble recovery.

In order to clear space for Hamilton on the practice squad, the Giants terminated the contract of quarterback Clayton Thorson. He had been signed last week as emergency depth.

Finally, the Giants protected four practice squad players: wide receiver/return man Pharoh Cooper, defensive lineman David Moa and defensive backs Jarren Williams and Natrell Jamerson.

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Giants sign QB Clayton Thorson to practice squad

The New York Giants have signed QB Clayton Thorson to their practice squad and made some other minor transactions.

With Daniel Jones (neck) likely out in Week 14 and veteran Mike Glennon in concussion protocol, the New York Giants have a quarterback problem.

In an effort to combat the issues, Jake Fromm was signed from the Buffalo Bills’ practice squad last week and is expected to start on Sunday. However, with depth still a concern, the Giants have protected practice squad quarterback Brian Lewerke.

But wait, there’s more.

Adding to their limited depth, the Giants signed quarterback Clayton Thorson to the practice squad on Tuesday.

Thorson, 26, was originally a fifth-round pick of the Philadelphia Eagles in the 2019 NFL draft. He was released as a part of final cuts that season and then promptly signed to the Dallas Cowboys’ practice squad, where he’d remain until September of 2020.

After being waived by the Cowboys, he was signed to the Giants’ practice squad and eventually promoted to the active roster for two games in December. He did not make an appearance in either game.

The Giants waived/injured Thorson in August and after going unclaimed, he reverted to injured reserve. Just a few short days later, New York waived Thorson with an injury settlement. Now he’s back.

Meanwhile, defensive back Ka’dar Hollman, who was signed in October, has been placed on the practice squad/injured list.

And last, the Washington Football Team has signed running back Jonathan Williams off of the Giants’ practice squad.

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Jalen McCleskey among multiple free agent receivers at Saints tryouts

The Saints tried out several free agent wide receivers, a kicker, and QB Clayton Thorson, a former Eagles draft pick, on Tuesday:

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It’s pretty obvious that the New Orleans Saints need improvement at wide receiver and place kicker, so it’s good to see them show some initiative in addressing those concerns. They brought in five free agents for tryouts on Tuesday — an off day for rostered players, when coaches and personnel scouts have time to evaluate them — and some might be more familiar than others. Here is who auditioned on Tuesday, Nov. 16:

Giants’ Jarren Williams, Clayton Thorson revert to IR

After going unclaimed on waivers, New York Giants DB Jarren Williams (quad) and QB Clayton Thorson (concussion) revert to injured reserve.

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In separate transactions, the New York Giants waived/injured both cornerback Jarren Williams (quad) and quarterback Clayton Thorson (concussion) this week.

Unsurprisingly, each player cleared through waivers and reverted back to the Giants’ injured reserve list.

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Both Williams and Thorson are eligible for injury settlements but could, potentially, remain on IR for the duration of the season.

The 24-year-old Williams signed with the Arizona Cardinals as an undrafted rookie out of Albany last April before landing with the Giants four months later. He spent most of the 2020 season on the team’s practice squad but was elevated to the active roster for a couple games in December.

In two career games, Williams has taken 17 special teams snaps and recorded two tackles.

Thorson, 26, was originally a fifth-round pick of the Philadelphia Eagles in the 2019 NFL draft. He was released as a part of final cuts that season and then promptly signed to the Dallas Cowboys practice squad, where he’d remain until September of 2020.

After being waived by the Cowboys, he was signed to the Giants’ practice squad and eventually promoted to the active roster for two games in December. He did not make an appearance in either game.

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Giants waive QB Clayton Thorson, sign QB Brian Lewerke

The New York Giants have waived/injured QB Clayton Thorson (concussion) and signed QB Brian Lewerke.

The New York Giants announced on Monday that quarterback Clayton Thorson has been waived/injured after suffering a concussion in Saturday’s 12-7 preseason loss to the New York Jets. The injury came on the team’s final offensive play (a safety).

Thorson, who spent the 2020 regular season on the Giants’ practice squad, will revert to injured reserve if he goes unclaimed off waivers.

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Replacing Thorson on the 91-man roster (one roster exemption) is quarterback Brian Lewerke, who had agreed to terms late on Sunday night.

Lewerke, a four-year starter at Michigan State, won the Pinstripe Bowl MVP back in 2019.

Lewerke was originally signed by the New England Patriots as an undrafted free agent in 2020, but was waived as a part of final cuts. Lewerke had signed with The Alphas of the Spring League back in May.

At Michigan State, Lewerke completed 721 of his 1,249 passes (57.7%) for 8,293 yards, 47 touchdowns and 32 interceptions in 41 games. He also gained 1,697 yards on 346 carries and scored 10 rushing touchdowns.

As if that weren’t enough, the versatile Lewerke also caught four passes for 32 yards and one touchdown, and recorded two tackles.

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Giants fall to Jets: Winners, losers and those in between

Here are the winners, losers and those in between from the New York Giants’ preseason Week 1 loss to the New York Jets.

The New York Giants opened the 2021 preseason on Saturday night with an embarrassing 12-7 loss to the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

It was an ugly game for both teams from the jump, but the Giants appeared lightyears behind where they should be. The saving grace is that the vast majority of their starters didn’t play or played very little.

Here’s a quick look at our immediate winners and losers (and those in between) from Week 1 of the preseason.

Giants drop preseason opener to Jets, 12-7

The New York Giants avoided a shutout but fell to the New York Jets, 12-7, in the preseason opener at MetLife Stadium.

The New York Giants opened the preseason on Saturday night in a game against the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

With fans in attendance for the first time since December of 2019, the Giants gave them little to cheer about through the first half. They were sloppy, confused and hardly looked like a team ready to compete.

But the second brought about change, right? Wrong.

The Giants got no better in the second half and arguably played even worse until midway through the fourth quarter. They were unable to generate any offensive momentum and had entirely too many defensive mishaps, but they did get one touchdown to avoid a shutout.

The Jets certainly weren’t dominant, but the Giants were not at all competitive until there was under 7:20 left to play and then that faded quickly.

Giants’ Daniel Jones, Evan Engram questionable vs. Browns

New York Giants QB Daniel Jones and TE Evan Engram are questionable against the Cleveland Browns in Week 15.

After canceling practice on Thursday following Jason Garrett’s positive COVID-19 test, the New York Giants were back on the field Friday, this time using the MetLife Stadium turf to prepare for a Week 15 game.

Just prior to the start of practice, the Giants announced that running back Devonta Freeman (ankle) had been designated to return from injured reserve, beginning his 21-day activation window. He promptly took the field and appeared to be moving well in the portion of practice open to the media.

Meanwhile, all eyes were once again on quarterback Daniel Jones (hamstring/ankle), who was a limited participant. He was subsequently listed as questionable against the Cleveland Browns.

Also questionable were tight end Evan Engram, who was added to the injury report with a calf issue, and tight end Kaden Smith, who was a new addition to Thursday’s report after suffering a knee injury.

Rookie cornerback Darnay Holmes (knee) did not practice and was ruled out for the second consecutive week.

If both Engram and Smith can not play on Sunday, Levine Toilolo is the only other right end on the roster.

If Jones is unable to play, Colt McCoy will draw the start and likely be backed up by practice squad quarterback Clayton Thorson.

Offensive lineman Kevin Zeitler was a full participant in practice and did not receive a designation.

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