Tag: justin layne

Panthers release 3 players on Wednesday

The Panthers officially cut ties with three players from their inactive list on Wednesday.

The Carolina Panthers had some cleaning up to do on Wednesday.

Per the league transaction wire, the team cut ties with three players from their inactive list—cornerbacks Rashaan Melvin and Justin Layne and linebacker Jordan Mack.

Melvin was terminated from the reserve/retired designation. After not reporting to training camp this summer, the 33-year-old officially called it quits on July 27.

That decision closed the book on a seven-year NFL career. In 2021, his lone season with Carolina, Melvin appeared in 10 games with a pair of starts.

Keeping on the subject of “not reporting,” Layne was terminated from the reserve/did not report list. Despite being claimed off waivers ahead of the Week 16 matchup with the Detroit Lions, the 24-year-old defensive back simply did not show up to the team facility.

Similarly to Melvin, Mack was waived from retirement. The undrafted free agent out of the University of Virginia opted out of the 2020 campaign due to COVID-19 concerns and retired the following spring.

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CB Justin Layne does not report to Panthers after being claimed on Wednesday

It seems as though the Panthers have been stood up by CB Justin Layne, who was claimed off waivers by the team on Wednesday.

Well, it looks like Justin Layne won’t be joining the Carolina Panthers for Christmas.

As announced by the organization on Friday morning, the 24-year-old cornerback has not reported to the team ahead of their Week 16 matchup against the Detroit Lions. Layne was claimed off waivers from the Chicago Bears on Wednesday.

The 6-foot-2, 192-pounder was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the third round of the 2019 draft. He served mostly as a special teams piece, totaling 41 combined tackles and a fumble recovery over 43 games between 2019 and 2021.

Layne would be waived by the Steelers prior to the 2022 regular season on Aug. 30. He was then claimed a day later by the New York Giants, whom he played five games for, and was waived again on Nov. 14 before finding his way to Chicago.

As a result of his no-show, Layne has now been placed on the reserve/did not report list and will not be available for tomorrow’s game. Luckily for the Panthers, however, they should be at full strength after returning a clean injury report yesterday.

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Panthers claim former Steelers 3rd-round pick

The Panthers need some cornerback depth for Saturday. So, they went out and got it.

The Carolina Panthers don’t have the deepest group of cornerbacks in the league right now. And it also doesn’t help that both of their starters are a tad on the banged-up side.

So, they got some help.

On Wednesday afternoon, Carolina was officially rewarded their claim to cornerback Justin Layne. Layne, after spending less than a week with the Chicago Bears, was waived yesterday.

The 6-foot-2, 192-pounder was drafted in the third round of the 2019 NFL draft by the Pittsburgh Steelers. Serving mostly as a special teams piece, the Michigan State University product totaled 41 combined tackles and a fumble recovery over 43 games in three years wearing the black and yellow.

Prior to the start of the 2022 regular season, on Aug. 30, Layne would be waived by the Steelers. He was then claimed a day later by the New York Giants, whom he played five games for, and was waived again on Nov. 14—eventually finding his way to Chicago.

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Broncos tired unsuccessfully to claim a defensive back off waivers

The Broncos put in a claim for DB Justin Layne but the Bears beat Denver to him.

The Denver Broncos tried unsuccessfully to add some depth to their secondary earlier this week.

After defensive back Justin Layne was waived by the New York Giants on Monday, the Broncos put in a claim to add the cornerback off the waiver wire. The next day, Layne was awarded to the Chicago Bears off waivers.

Denver is currently No. 7 in the NFL’s waiver order, so if anyone above them puts in a claim for the same player, the higher team is awarded the player. Chicago is just one spot above the Broncos, currently No. 6 in the waiver order.

So who was Denver trying to get? Layne is a 24-year-old defender who entered the league as a third-round pick out of Michigan State with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2019. He’s struggled to live up to his high draft status, failing to earn any starts with the Steelers from 2019-2021.

After playing primarily as a special teams player in Pittsburgh, Layne joined the Giants earlier this year and played in seven games. He occasionally rotated in on defense but again played mostly on special teams.

The Broncos were probably looking to add some depth to their own special teams units when they put in a claim for Layne earlier this week.

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Giants sign Vernon Butler, Devery Hamilton to practice squad

The New York Giants have signed veteran DT Vernon Butler to their practice squad, while several ex-Giants have new homes.

The New York Giants continued tweaking their roster on Tuesday, making several practice squad moves.

Offensive lineman Devery Hamilton had his contract officially terminated, but he will remain in East Rutherford. He is expected to sign back to the team’s practice squad on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, the Giants have also signed veteran defensive tackle Vernon Butler to their practice squad.

Butler, a first-round pick of the Carolina Panthers in the 2016 NFL draft, provides additional depth along the interior defensive line. Dexter Lawrence and Leonard Williams have been taking the bulk of the snaps and head coach Brian Daboll would like to work them into more of a rotation to keep them healthy.

In addition to his time with the Panthers, Butler has also had stints with the Buffalo Bills and Las Vegas Raiders. He’s appeared in 76 career games (19 starts) and recorded 106 tackles (15 for a loss), 21 QB hits, 8.0 sacks, four forced fumbles and three passes defensed.

Meanwhile, defensive back Justin Layne, who was waived earlier this week, has been claimed by the Chicago Bears.

Finally, former Giants wide receiver Alex Bachman, who led the NFL with 19 preseason receptions, has signed with the Houston Texans.

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Giants activate CB Rodarius Williams, sign DL Henry Mondeaux off practice squad

The New York Giants have activated CB Rodarius Williams off of IR and signed DL Henry Mondeaux to the active roster in a series of moves.

The New York Giants made a series of roster moves on Monday, which included adding several defensive reinforcements.

Cornerback Rodarius Williams, the team’s 2021 sixth-round pick, was activated off of injured reserve. He suffered a torn ACL in Week 6 of last season and opened the current season on IR. He rejoins a thin group that consists of Adoree’ Jackson, Fabian Moreau, Cor’Dale Flott and Darnay Holmes.

In addition to activating Williams, the Giants also signed defensive lineman Henry Mondeaux off of their practice squad.

Mondeaux has appeared in three games this season, all as a practice squad elevation, recording five tackles (one for a loss). He will replace Nick Williams, who landed on IR last week with a biceps injury.

In order to clear two spots on the 53-man roster, the Giants released offensive tackle Devery Hamilton and defensive back Justin Layne. Hamilton became expendable due to the recent returns of Nick Gates and Matt Peart, and the pending return of Shane Lemieux.

Finally, the Giants also terminated the practice squad contract of offensive tackle Will Holden.

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Giants’ Leonard Williams, four others out vs. Bears

The New York Giants have listed five players out against the Chicago Bears, including DL Leonard Williams and WR Kadarius Toney.

The New York Giants were hopeful to get several injured players back against the Chicago Bears but will have to wait another week on many.

Wide receivers Kadarius Toney and Wan’Dale Robinson aren’t ready to go just yet, and the same is true for defensive lineman Leonard Williams, who was also listed out.

On the plus side, cornerback Aaron Robinson will make his return to the field and it couldn’t come soon enough. Rookie Cor’Dale Flott will miss Sunday’s Week 4 game with a calf injury.

Also in the good news department, defensive lineman Jihad Ward will be available after missing practice earlier in the week.

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

Giants injury report: Jihad Ward returns to practice, Leonard Williams sits

New York Giants DL Jihad Ward returned to practice on Thursday, but the news wasn’t as good for WR Kadarius Toney or DL Leonard Williams.

The New York Giants returned to the field on Thursday afternoon with “Fantastic Voyage” blaring over the loudspeakers in honor of rapper Coolio, who passed away at the age of 59 on Wednesday.

A day removed from the team’s walkthrough, all eyes were on the likes of Kadarius Toney, Leonard Williams and Aaron Robinson.

The bad news? Toney and Williams remain sidelined. The good news? Robinson was practicing and appears poised to make his return on Sunday against the Chicago Bears.

The Giants’ Thursday injury report can be found below:

Did not participate: WR Wan’Dale Robinson (knee), CB Nick McCloud (hamstring), WR Kadarius Toney (hamstring), DL Leonard Williams (knee), CB Cor’Dale Flott (calf)

Limited participant: CB Aaron Robinson (appendicitis), DL Jihad Ward (knee)

Full participant: CB Justin Layne (concussion)

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Giants injury report: Aaron Robinson ‘trending upward’

The New York Giants held a walkthrough on Wednesday and head coach Brian Daboll says CB Aaron Robinson is “trending up.”

The New York Giants returned to the building on Wednesday following a Week 3 loss to the Dallas Cowboys. Given that they played on Monday night, the team held a walkthrough that was closed to the media.

Prior to practice, head coach Brian Daboll said rookie cornerback Cor’Dale Flott would be added to the injury report. He also noted that several other players, including wide receiver Kadarius Toney, would continue to be managed.

The good news? Daboll noted cornerback Aaron Robinson was “trending up.”

The Giants’ (projected) Wednesday injury report can be found below:

Did not participate: WR Wan’Dale Robinson (knee), CB Nick McCloud (hamstring), WR Kadarius Toney (hamstring), DL Leonard Williams (knee), CB Cor’Dale Flott (calf), WR Sterling Shepard (knee), DL Jihad Ward (knee)

Limited participant: CB Aaron Robinson (appendicitis), CB Justin Layne (concussion)

Full participant: N/A

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Giants’ Kadarius Toney doubtful, 4 out vs. Cowboys

The New York Giants have ruled four out and listed WR Kadarius Toney and DL Leonard Williams as doubtful against the Cowboys in Week 3.

The New York Giants will likely get edge rushers Kayvon Thibodeaux and Azeez Ojulari back on Monday against the Dallas Cowboys, but they’ll be without a few others.

As anticipated, cornerback Aaron Robinson will not play after undergoing an emergency appendectomy. He is expected to be joined by wide receiver Kadarius Toney, who missed the team’s previous two practices with a lingering hamstring injury.

Rookie wide receiver Wan’Dale Robinson will also miss his second consecutive game.

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