Eric Tomlinson – Page 4 – Syndication Server

Ravens activate CB Anthony Averett from injured reserve, 2 others from practice squad

Baltimore Ravens cornerback Anthony Averett is promoted to 53-man roster ahead of Week 13 matchup against the Dallas Cowboys.

The Baltimore Ravens activated cornerback Anthony Averett from injured reserve to the 53-man roster ahead of a Week 13 matchup against the Dallas Cowboys on Tuesday, according to the NFL’s transaction report.

Averett has been off the field since Week 6 after he suffered a shoulder injury against the Philadelphia Eagles. Averett came off injured reserve on Friday with a “designated to return” label, giving him time to practice with the team and get back up to speed. Averett is expected to suit up against the Cowboys and provide depth to a Ravens secondary that has been banged up all-season.

In total, Baltimore had five cornerbacks on injured reserve at one point this season. The Ravens lost cornerback Tavon Young to a season-ending knee injury in Week 2 while Iman Marshall and Khalil Dorsey were also put on injured reserve after their respective injuries.

But it’s not just players on injured reserve that’s making Baltimore’s cornerback depth disappear. Both Jimmy Smith and Tramon Williams are listed as inactive for Tuesday’s game against the Cowboys due to injuries, putting more pressure on the group — including Averett — to perform against a very capable Dallas passing attack. Smith did not practice this week after suffering a groin injury in Week 12 against the Steelers. Williams, who signed with Baltimore in November because of an injured-filled secondary is also inactive due to a thigh injury.

In other moves, the Ravens also activated tight end Eric Tomlinson and cornerback Pierre Desir from the practice squad. Tomlinson played Wednesday in Pittsburgh following tight end Mark Andrews being put on the Reserve/COVID-19 list. Desir last played in Week 9 for the New York Jets.

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Ex-Giant Eric Tomlinson signs to Ravens’ practice squad

Former New York Giants TE Eric Tomlinson has been signed to the Baltimore Ravens’ practice squad.

Former New York Giants tight end Eric Tomlinson, who many anticipated would return to the team’s practice squad, now has a new home.

The Baltimore Ravens announced on Monday afternoon that they had signed Tomlinson, who filled multiple roles for the Giants this season, to their practice squad.

We have signed TE Eric Tomlinson to our practice squad.

— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) November 23, 2020

Tomlinson originally joined the Giants in September of last year when he was claimed off of waivers from the New York Jets. He was waived several weeks later and spent time with the New England Patriots and Oakland Raiders before re-signing with the Giants in March of this year.

At varying points this season, Tomlinson had spent time on both the Giants’ active roster and practice squad, and even took some reps along the offensive line when the team had an early COVID-19 scare.

Prior to his time with the Giants, Tomlinson was quite the journeyman, making stops with the Philadelphia Eagles, where he signed as an undrafted rookie out of UTEP, Houston Texans and the aforementioned Jets.

In 45 career games (32 starts), Tomlinson has hauled in 17 receptions for 194 yards and one touchdown. He is primarily used as a blocking tight end.

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Giants waive Eric Tomlinson, Kenny Wiggins

The New York Giants have waived TE Eric Tomlinson and OG Kenny Wiggins, and promoted OT Kyle Murphy from their practice squad.

The New York Giants announced a series of roster moves on Friday morning ahead of their final practice of Week 10.

Among those on the move were tight end Eric Tomlinson and offensive lineman Kenny Wiggins, both of whom were waived.

The Giants signed Wiggins earlier this month but listed him as inactive for the team’s Week 9 game against the Washington Football Team. With Will Hernandez (COVID-19) returning and Kevin Zeitler remaining with the team, there was no longer a need for the extra guard.

Tomlinson, meanwhile, originally joined the Giants in September of last year when he was claimed off of waivers from the New York Jets. He was waived several weeks later and spent time with the New England Patriots and Oakland Raiders before re-signing with the Giants in March of this year.

So far this season, Tomlinson has spent time on both the Giants’ active roster and practice squad, which is where he will likely end up if he clears waivers.

Finally, the Giants promoted offensive tackle Kyle Murphy from their practice squad to their active roster.

With the moves, the Giants now have one open spot on their active roster and one open spot on their practice squad.

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Giants waive Sean Chandler, promote Eric Tomlinson

The New York Giants have waived safety Sean Chandler and promoted tight end Eric Tomlinson from their practice squad.

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The New York Giants have made a habit out of shuffling their practice squad a time or two per week and that trend continued on Tuesday.

Mere days after promoting him to their active roster, the Giants have waived safety Sean Chandler. He is expected to be re-signed to their practice squad.

Replacing Chandler on the 53-man roster is tight end Eric Tomlinson, who was promoted from the team’s practice squad.

This move is a complete 180 from last week when Tomlinson had his contract terminated so that Chandler could be promoted to the active roster to provide depth in Jabrill Peppers’ (ankle) absence.

In a 17-9 loss to the Los Angeles Rams in Week 4, Chandler was on the field for 16 special teams snaps (70%). In total, Chandler has appeared in three games for the Giants this season and has registered one tackle.

Tomlinson has appeared in just one game for the Giants this season, taking two offensive snaps and 11 special teams snaps, recording one tackle.

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Giants place David Mayo, Xavier McKinney on injured reserve

The New York Giants have placed S Xavier McKinney and LB David Mayo on IR, re-signed CB Brandon Williams and made some other transactions.

As expected, the NewYork Giants have placed rookie safety Xavier McKinney and linebacker David Mayo on injured reserve.

McKinney broke a bone in his left foot during camp and will likely be out until November. Mayo had a slight tear of the meniscus that required surgery but could be ready to return in a few weeks.

The reason the Giants did not place either player on IR before they cut their 53-man roster on Saturday was because that would have put them out of action for the season. By putting them on the roster and then placing them on IR makes them eligible to return after three weeks under the new NFL rules.

With McKinney and Mayo going on IR, the Giants had two open roster spots to fill and did so by re-signing veteran cornerback Brandon Williams, who had been released on Saturday, and tight end Eric Tomlinson.

Finally, safety Montre Hartage, who was also waived/injured on Saturday, cleared waivers and reverted to the Giants’ injured reserve list.

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

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

The New York Giants are excited about their prospects on offense this season. There’s an interesting mixture of old and new faces converging within the unit.

The team used first-round draft picks on offensive players the last four years and have supplemented those players with other high round picks and select free agents.

Here’s a quick outlook of the Giants’ 2020 offense.

Coaches

Gained: Joe Judge, Jason Garrett, Marc Colombo, others

Lost: Pat Shurmur, Mike Shula, Hal Hunter, others

Jason Garrett, a former Giants backup quarterback and head coach of the Dallas Cowboys the past 10 years, is the new offensive coordinator.

Garrett will bring a balance and some semblance of structure to the offensive game plan. He is a creative, aggressive play caller who has both the experience, temperament and talent to turn the Giants into a high-powered, respectable offensive team.

The staff is full of familiar faces: Marc Colombo (offensive line), Tyke Tolbert (wide receivers), Jerry Shuplinski (quarterbacks), Burton Burns (running backs) and Freddie Kitchens (tight ends) bring a legacy of success and experience to the Giants.

Verdict: Substantial upgrade

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2020 Giants training camp preview: Tight ends

The New York Giants have an seemingly deep group of tight ends, but what can you expect to see from them this year and in camp?

What can fans expect out of the New York Giants’ tight ends this season? Your guess is as good as anyone’s, but looking at the personnel in the group and the coaching staff, it’s a good bet they’ll play a prominent role in the offense.

New head coach Joe Judge comes from New England where they had a guy named Rob Gronkowski, one of the most prolific tight ends ever to play the game. Offensive coordinator Jason Garrett comes in from Dallas where they had a guy named Jason Witten, who was the most prolific tight end of his era.

Judge hired his old pal, Freddie Kitchens, to run the tight ends this year. Kitchens, as you know, was the head coach in Cleveland last year but he’s no novice when it comes to coaching tight ends. In 2006, he coached the Cowboys’ tight ends under a guy named Bill Parcells. He also coached the tight ends in Arizona from 2007-12.

Under Garrett, you can expect the Giants to line up with two tight ends on many snaps, also known as the 21 formation.

“Last season in Dallas, the Cowboys used 21 personnel on 91 total snaps, but 57 percent of those snaps were running plays that netted 4.9 yards per carry on average,” writes NJ.com’s Matt Lombardo. “Comparatively, the Giants only ran 21 personnel 48 times in 2019, perhaps offering a glimpse of what offensive coordinator Jason Garrett’s scheme might have in store.”

Those two tight ends are likely to be Evan Engram and Kaden Smith, but don’t discount the signing of the massive Levine Toilolo, whose blocking will provide a boost to the running game.

The Giants currently have seven tight ends on their roster, but that number is likely to be cut down when the team assembles for camp this week, as camp rosters will be trimmed to 80 players this summer instead of the usual 90 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Here’s who will likely be part of the 80.

Evan Engram

Evan Engram is the primary tight end on the depth chart, but he’s just not big enough to play as an in-line end, so Garrett is likely to get creative with him and likely will be used as a split end a la Jordan Reed, Delanie Walker, Darren Waller etc.

Of course, the Giants would love to see Engram emerge as a workhorse in the mold of Travis Kelce, Zack Ertz and George Kittle. But at this point, the Giants will be happy if the injury-prone Engram can stay healthy for 16 games.

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PFF ranks Giants’ tight ends 15th overall in NFL

Pro Football Focus ranked the New York Giants’ tight ends 15th overall in the NFL, but leaves room for rapid improvement.

Under offensive coordinator Jason Garrett, the New York Giants tight ends are going to be put to work. Many double-tight ends sets can be expected, while the overall number of targets for each member of that unit will undoubtedly increase.

The good news for New York is that two quality tight ends top their depth chart — Evan Engram and Kaden Smith.

Engram is a potential superstar with a rare athletic gift not sported by many at the tight end position. His issue is, of course, an inability to stay healthy. Meanwhile, Smith is an up-and-coming talent who really flashed at times in 2019.

Behind Engram and Smith, things get a little more foggy. The team signed Levine Toilolo and re-signed Eric Tomlinson, both quality blocking tight ends, this offseason to bolster depth that also includes Garrett Dickerson and others.

That collective group looks good enough on paper to be ranked 15th overall by Pro Football Focus, who left open the possibility that a healthy Engram could propel them further up this list.

Injuries struck the Giants’ tight ends in 2019, as none of their four options played more than 10 games. Evan Engram caught 44 passes in just eight games, and he’s been a solid option who has excelled after the catch, averaging 6.2 yards after the catch per reception since entering the league.

While he’s never graded above 60.6 as a run-blocker, Engram’s 746 yards when lined up as a wide receiver ranks 12th among tight ends, so his best asset is the ability to produce all over the formation.

It will be a battle for the backup job, with 2019 sixth-rounder Kaden Smith being the top returning producer after recording 31 receptions last season. However, Smith is not a dynamic receiver — he graded at 54.6 overall last year — so expect competition with veteran backups Levine Toilolo and Eric Tomlinson. Toilolo has three straight years grading in the 60s, while Tomlinson has bounced between multiple teams as a solid run-blocker.

A healthy Engram could be in line for a big season, and any kind of production from the backups will keep this unit in the top half of the league.

If, if, if… That’s always the case when it comes to Engram and the Giants tight ends. He holds the key to unlocking the unit’s true potential, but as PFF suggests, he must remain on the field in order to do so.

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2020 NFL Free Agency: A look at the Giants’ newest contracts

With NFL free agency all but over, here’s a quick breakdown of each new contract the New York Giants handed out.

The New York Giants have done substantial work to their roster this offseason, including the big additions of cornerback James Bradberry and linebacker Blake Martinez.

Initially, there was some confusion over the new contracts and how bonuses were structured, but the vast majority of that has been cleaned up thanks to The Athletic.

Here’s a quick breakdown of each new contract:

Linebacker, David Mayo

Deal: Three years, $8.4 million with $3.5 million guaranteed. $2 million roster bonus in 2020. $50,000 workout bonuses all three years.

Base salary (cap hits):

2020 – $1.5 million ($3.55 million)
2021 – $2.25 million ($2.3 million)
2022 – $2.5 million ($2.55 million)

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Giants announce jersey numbers for new players

The New York Giants officially announced the jersey numbers of 10 of their newest players.

It’s been slow going as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, but the New York Giants have officially announced the signings of 10 players over the past two weeks, including linebacker Blake Martinez and cornerback James Bradberry.

On Monday, the team also assigned those 10 players their new jersey numbers, which are subject to change, so remember that when ordering some new attire.

The new jersey numbers are broken down below:

James Bradberry, No. 24
Colt McCoy, No. 12
Levine Toilolo, No. 83
Austin Johnson, No. 93
Blake Martinez, No. 54
Kyler Fackrell, No. 51
Cameron Fleming, No. 75
Eric Tomlinson, No. 85
Nate Ebner, No. 43
Dion Lewis, No. 33

Bradberry recently discussed the importance of wearing No. 24, which had been Josh Norman’s number in Carolina.

“Had 21 been open, I would have chosen 21. But since I was in college, I always thought about wearing 24 so I just went with 24 not thinking about it,” Bradberry told The Athletic of taking Norman’s old number.

“When I actually started thinking about it, it was too late. I had already chosen the number and I didn’t want to go back. People would probably say I was scared to wear that number and I didn’t want that either, so I just took the challenge.”

Interestingly, the No. 44, which linebacker Markus Golden wore last season, has not be reassigned.

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