Tag: Gervarrius Owens

Titans add four to the practice squad

The Tennessee Titans were quiet at the trade deadline, but that didn’t stop them from adding some bodies to the practice squad.

To the surprise of many observers, the Tennessee Titans didn’t make any more moves at the trade deadline. It’s an interesting development after they appeared to be starting a fire sale just two weeks ago. 

While no trades were made, the team was active, making a few minor transactions on the day. The Titans added tight end Thomas Odukoya, defensive back Gervarrius Owens, defensive back Daryl Worley and guard Cole Spencer to the practice squad. 

It’s no secret that the Titans are banged up, especially in the secondary and offensive line. Starting cornerback L’Jarius Sneed has missed the past three games and they lost starting safety Quandre Diggs for the season against the New England Patriots. Along the offensive line, the team has lost backup Andrew Rupcich and starter Lloyd Cushenberry in consecutive weeks to injured reserve and saw starting guard Dillon Radunz miss the last game due to injury. 

While Odukoya and Spencer are familiar faces, the additions of Owens and Worley are new. Owens was originally a seventh-round draft pick by the New York Giants in the 2023 NFL draft. In his career, he has seen action in three games, recording one tackle and one fumble recovery. He was released from the Giants’ practice squad in October. 

Worley is well-traveled and at age 29 will add some experience to the secondary. A third-round selection in 2016 by the Carolina Panthers, the Titans will be the 10th team he has played for during his NFL career. 

The Titans will likely have multiple roster moves in the coming days when they place Cushenberry and Diggs on injured reserve. The team will return to practice on Wednesday to start preparing for their Week 10 battle with the Los Angeles Chargers. 

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Giants sign Marcellus Johnson, Garret Greenfield to practice squad

The New York Giants have signed offensive tackles Marcellus Johnson and Garret Greenfield to their practice squad.

The New York Giants continued shuffling their practice squad over the past 48 hours beginning with the release of safety Gervarrius Owens.

On Wednesday, the team also announced that fullback Jakob Johnson had his practice squad contract terminated, again, leaving two available spots.

In corresponding moves, the Giants re-signed offensive tackle Marcellus Johnson and added fellow offensive tackle Garret Greenfield.

The 6-foot-4, 307-pound Johnson signed with the Giants as an undrafted rookie free agent back in May. He was released as a part of final cuts after appearing in three preseason games, signed to the practice squad, and then released again on September 10. He was picked up by the Minnesota Vikings but released this past Tuesday.

Greenfield (6-foot-6, 310 pounds), a two-time FCS national champion, was originally signed by the Seattle Seahawks as an undrafted rookie free agent out of South Dakota State in early May. The DC Defenders also selected him in the fourth round of the 2024 UFL draft.

The Seahawks released Greenfield as a part of final cuts, signed him to their practice squad, and then released him a day later.

All spots on the Giants’ practice squad are now filled.

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Giants release safety Gervarrius Owens

The New York Giants have terminated safety Gervarrius Owens from their practice squad.

The New York Giants have announced that safety Gervarrius Owens has been terminated from their practice squad.

The 25-year-old Owens was a seventh-round pick of the Giants in the 2023 NFL draft. He appeared in just three games for the team, recording one tackle and one fumble recovered.

Throughout the spring and early summer before suffering a knee injury, Owens appeared to be making a case for a 53-man roster spot but was ultimately released as a part of final cuts and promptly re-signed to the practice squad. He had not been elevated at the time of his Tuesday night release.

The 6-foot, 200-pound Owens is the first of general manager Joe Schoen’s 2023 draft class to be released. Remaining are cornerbacks Deonte Banks and Tre Hawkins, center John Michael Schmitz, wide receiver Jalin Hyatt, running back Eric Gray, and defensive lineman Jordon Riley.

There was no immediate corresponding roster move following Owens’ release, leaving one spot open on the Giants’ practice squad.

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Giants sign Gervarrius Owens to practice squad, release K.J. Cloyd

The New York Giants continued to tweak their practice squad on Friday, bringing back former draft pick Gervarrius Owens.

The New York Giants added defensive back Gevarrius Owens, their 2023 seventh-round draft pick who spent last year with the team, to the practice squad.

To make room for Owens, the Giants released preseason hero K..J. Cloyd.

Owens played in three games for the Giants in 2023 but spent the majority of the season on their practice squad.

This summer, Owens was sidelined for the final two weeks of training camp with a knee issue.

Cloyd was expendable after the Giants added Curtis Bolton to the 53-man roster and Ty Summers to the practice squad.

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Giants awarded DB Anthony Johnson Jr. off waivers from Packers

The New York Giants added to their young secondary on Wednesday by claiming former Green Bay Packers DB Anthony Johnson Jr. off waivers.

The New York Giants were awarded defensive back Anthony Johnson Jr., formerly of the Green Bay Packers, off of waivers on Wednesday.

Johnson was the lone player awarded to the Giants off waivers.

Johnson, 24, was waived by the Packers at the roster deadline on Tuesday. He was a seventh-round pick out of Iowa State (242nd overall) in the 2023 NFL draft.

Johnson played in 12 games for the Packers last season, starting four. He also appeared in two postseason games.

During the regular season, Johnson recorded 24 tackles (18 solo), three passes defensed, and one interception.

Johnson (6’0″, 205) was a second-team All-Big 12 selection in 2022.

None of the players the Giants waived on Tuesday were claimed and are now free agents. They can sign elsewhere or be added back to the team’s practice squad.

In a corresponding move, the Giants have waived safety Gervarrius Owens.

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Giants don’t fare well in 2023 NFL draft re-grade

In a 2023 NFL draft re-grade courtesy of The Athletic, the New York Giants did not fare particularly well but hope remains.

The jury is still out on the 2023 NFL draft class but Diante Lee of The Athletic recently decided to grade the class after just one season.

The New York Giants had seven picks in the draft leading off with Maryland cornerback Deonte Banks at No. 24 overall. He started 15 games and was solid most of the season. He is now considered a No. 1 outside corner, so they appear to have made a good choice in him.

Banks was not likely the Giants’ first choice on their board, however. They were said to be in the market for a wide receiver and it just so happens that four studs were chosen right before they were on the clock in Jaxson Smith-Njigba, Quentin Johnson, May Flowers, and Jordan Addison.

The rest of the draft is still very much a mystery as injuries and underuse left much to be desired.

New York Giants: C-minus

Deonte Banks (No. 24) was a fun watch coming out of college and as a rookie showed the speed, physicality and competitive edge that made him a late riser in the draft process. Jalin Hyatt (No. 73) flashed some downfield ball-tracking skills, but he didn’t separate enough last season to be considered a long-term piece of this offense.

This year, the Giants hope to see some growth in center John Michael Schmitz, cornerback Tre Hawkins III, safety Gervarrius Owens, and defensive lineman Jordon Riley.

Eric Gray is expected to help fill the void left by Saquon Barkley and Hyatt still has to earn the trust of the coaches and quarterbacks.

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CBS Sports ranks Giants’ 2023 rookie class in bottom half of NFL

The New York Giants’ 2023 NFL draft class was ranked in the bottom half of the league by CBS Sports, but they were credited with two hits.

The New York Giants made seven picks in the 2023 NFL draft and most felt confident that general manager Joe Schoen had made the right calls.

In need of talent at multiple positions, the Giants fared well with their limited stock, adding cornerback Deonte Banks, center John Michael Schmitz, and wide receiver Jalin Hyatt with their first three selections.

They rounded things out with running back Eric Gray, cornerback Tre Hawkins III, defensive lineman Jordon Riley, and safety Gervarrius Owens.

All seven of those players saw time on the field this past season but the results weren’t quite what the Giants had hoped. Injuries derailed the development of several rookies while others were stunted due to misuse (see: Gray as a punt returner).

Chris Trapasso of CBS Sports recently ranked all 32 draft classes from 2023 and the Giants landed in the bottom half of the league. However, he did credit them with two hits: Banks and Hyatt.

Hyatt didn’t exactly rekindle all of the magic he had at Tennessee winning down the field on a regular basis. But averaging over 16 yards per snag as a rookie demonstrated there’s a bright future for him if the development as a route runner continues. Sixth-round pick Tre Hawkins was respectable as a rotational cornerback. Second-round pick John Michael Schmitz really struggled with power before his injury. Banks had some hiccups in coverage but mostly dealt with No. 1 receivers in man coverage and snagged two picks while knocking away 11 passes.

Banks has the makings of a solid, long-term CB1 and although he struggled at times, Schmitz still has plenty of upside. Hyatt also performed better than his stats would indicate. He suffered due to poor offensive line and quarterback play.

The Giants remain hopeful that Hawkins can develop into a starter and that Riley eventually becomes a dominant interior defender.

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Grading every rookie from Giants’ 2023 draft class

How did the New York Giants’ draft class fare in 2023? Giants Wire hands out grades for all seven rookies.

Now that the 2023 NFL regular season is in the books, it’s time to review how the New York Giants draft class performed.

The Giants had seven selections in last spring’s NFL draft, four on defense and three on offense.

Here’s how they fared in their debut seasons.

Giants injury report: Andrew Thomas, Azeez Ojulari limited

New York Giants LT Andrew Thomas and LB Azeez Ojulari were limited on Thursday and their status for Sunday’s game is up in the air.

The New York Giants returned to the practice field on Thursday following a scary scene the day prior. Practice squad cornerback Amani Oruwariye was injured on a kickoff drill and was taken by ambulance to a local hospital.

Thankfully, Oruwariye was back at team facilities for the team’s second practice of the week and had full function in his extremities.

Meanwhile, left tackle Andrew Thomas and right end Darren Waller each returned to practice.

The Giants’ Thursday injury report can be found below:

Did not participate: WR Sterling Shepard (rest)

Limited participant: OL Andrew Thomas (hamstring), K Graham Gano (ankle), WR Wan’Dale Robinson (knee), CB Deonte Banks (calf), LB Cam Brown (ankle), CB Cor’Dale Flott (hamstring), LB Azeez Ojulari (hamstring), S Gervarrius Owens (hamstring), OL Matt Peart (elbow), TE Darren Waller (hamstring/rest)

Full participant: N/A

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Giants’ Darren Waller questionable vs. Cowboys

New York Giants TE Darren Waller was added to the injury report on Friday and is questionable against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 1.

The New York Giants will open their 2023 regular season on Sunday night against the Dallas Cowboys at MetLife Stadium and will be relatively healthy when they do.

Everyone on the 53-man roster practiced on at least a limited basis this week including wide receiver Wan’Dale Robinson, who is returning from a torn ACL.

“Same. Everybody’s going, and then we’ll talk about (game designations) tonight,” head coach Brian Daboll told reporters on Friday. “I think everybody’s going to be out here today and then we’ll sit here and talk about it tonight.”

There was, however, an unexpected development during practice as tight end Darren Waller was added to the injury report with a hamstring issue. He was limited on Friday.

Meanwhile, down in Arlington, the Cowboys were dealing with their own headaches as two starting offensive linemen — Tyron Smith and Tyler Smith — had injuries pop up this week.

Full injury reports for both the Giants and Cowboys can be found below: