Tag: Kenny Wiggins

Lions draft: 10 early candidates to be Detroit’s 1st-round pick in 2024

An early look at 10 prospects who figure to appeal to the Detroit Lions with their top pick in the 2024 NFL draft

The college football season is quickly coming to an end, believe it or not. That means the draft prospect evaluation season is really starting to heat up.

Normally, the NFL draft is a bigger priority amongst Lions fans at this time of the year. And while the scouting staff has been operating like always, the success of the 7-2, first-place Lions has put the draft on the back burner for most fans.

In looking ahead at the 2024 NFL draft, which will take place in Detroit next April, the draft range for the Lions top pick figures to be in the 25-32 overall range of the first round. Picking that much later opens up a lot more possibilities for the Lions and what player(s) they might target.

Here are 10 prospects who appear to fit what the Lions want in a prospect and would fill a need on the Detroit roster. It’s just an early look at who the Lions figure to have some interest in drafting with their top pick. They are listed here in alphabetical order.

Giants re-sign Nate Ebner, shuffle practice squad

The New York Giants have re-signed special teams ace Nate Ebner as part of a series of transactions.

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The New York Giants made the highly anticipated move of re-signing special teams ace Nate Ebner on Tuesday, which came alongside a number of other transactions.

“He’s a guy that’s very locked in and focused. He was a captain last year and is a great team leader. This team, what he’s helping build is very important for him and while I don’t speak for anyone else, I don’t mind echoing that for Nate because I know I can speak very directly and honestly. But look, he’s a very important part of this team and we look forward to getting him back,” head coach Joe Judge said in May.

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In addition to adding Ebner back to the 53-man roster, the Giants also terminated the contract of wide receiver C.J. Board before immediately signing him to the practice squad.

Meanwhile, the Giants officially terminated the contract of linebacker Todd Davis, who had announced his retirement last month. They also waived wide receiver Austin Mack with an injury settlement, clearing additional salary cap space in the process.

Finally, the team signed offensive tackle Korey Cunningham to their practice squad. In order to make room for he and Board, defensive back Jordyn Peters and guard Kenny Wiggins were released.

Giants-Jets preseason Week 1: Offense, defense and special teams snap counts

The New York Giants lost their Week 1 preseason game against the Jets. Here are the snap counts on offense, defense and special teams.

The New York Giants opened the 2021 preseason with a dud, falling to the New York Jets, 12-7, at MetLife Stadium on Saturday night.

Not much went the Giants’ way as their offensive line struggled, their quarterbacks were less than encouraging and their defense made too many fundamental errors.

Needless to say, there’s a lot of work to do.

Here’s a look at the snap counts that attributed to the Giants’ first loss of the new year.

Offensive lineman Kenny Wiggins led the way in snaps due to an injury sustained by Kyle Murphy, who was seen after the game on crutches. Neither of those things is a positive as Wiggins struggled and the Giants lost additional depth along the O-line.

Defensively, the snap counts were surprisingly top-heavy. Defensive back Madre Harper, rookie cornerback Rodarius Williams and veteran edge rusher Trent Harris were heavily evaluated.

On special teams, it was a healthy mix across the board — but some showed out more than others.

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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’ Kenny Wiggins saved Daniel Jones during Tuesday’s brawl

New York Giants OL Kenny Wiggins, who says he’s too old to fight, details pulling QB Daniel Jones out Tuesday’s brawl pile.

When a full-team brawl broke out during New York Giants’ training camp practice this past Tuesday, third-year quarterback Daniel Jones somehow found himself on the bottom of the pile.

“I’m part of the team. Part of the team and part of the offense and we’re competing, so I don’t see myself separated from that,” Jones told reporters after the melee.

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But the Giants can’t afford to have their 24-year-old franchise quarterback injured, which is why veteran offensive lineman Kenny Wiggins was quick to dive in and pull Jones out with the help of defensive tackle Danny Shelton.

“I’m a little too old to fight so I wanted to make sure I get the quarterback out of the bottom of the pile. I just heard somebody say he was in there so I just went and looked for a red jersey,” Wiggins told Zack Rosenblatt of NJ Advance Media.

And the brawl was nothing of note for Wiggins. He’s seen far worse during his days in the NFL and the same can be said for the punishment handed down by a red-hot Joe Judge.

“I was with Matt Patricia the last few years, so …” he said without the need to add more context.

Meanwhile, Wiggins had been receiving some first-team reps prior to the return of Shane Lemieux (knee), which could indicate a potentially significant role for the 32-year-old in 2021.

“It’s fun playing with guys that are a lot more talented than you, and younger,” Wiggins said. “We play off each other. I’ve seen a lot of things. I help along the way. Because they can do a lot of things that I can’t do.”

Perhaps no contribution will be more significant this season than Wiggins potentially saving Jones from injury. That alone deserves all the praise.

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Ex-Lions OL Kenny Wiggins cut by the Giants

The Giants are moving to a guard rotation but Wiggins won’t be part of it

Former Detroit Lions offensive lineman Kenny Wiggins had a short stay in New York. The Giants cut the ex-Lions starting guard on Friday in advance of the team’s Week 10 matchup with the Philadelphia Eagles.

The Giants signed Wiggins earlier this month after the Lions severed ties with the veteran in late October. Wiggins was inactive for New York’s Week 9 game against the Washington Football Team, this week’s Lions foe. New York is getting back starter Will Hernandez from the reserve/COVID-19 list and no longer needed Wiggins.

Wiggins played just one offensive snap in four games with the Lions in 2020 after starting three games and playing extensively in 14 for Detroit in 2019 as part of the team’s guard rotation. Interestingly, the Lions have gone away from the rotation while the Giants have embraced it in 2020 under new head coach Joe Judge, like Matt Patricia a former Patriots assistant.

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 sign guard Kenny Wiggins

The New York Giants have signed veteran offensive lineman Kenny Wiggins and returned three players to their practice squad.

The New York Giants announced on Tuesday that they have signed veteran guard Kenny Wiggins, who worked out for the team and went through COVID-19 protocols over the weekend.

Wiggins originally signed with the Baltimore Ravens as an undrafted rookie free agent out of Fresno State in 2011 before spending time with the San Francisco 49ers (2012-2013), Los Angeles Chargers (2013-2017) and, most recently, the Detroit Lions (2018-2020).

The Lions released Wiggins on October 24.

In 10 NFL seasons, Wiggins has appeared in 79 games with 38 starts. In 2017 with the Chargers, he started all 16 games at right guard but has also played left guard over the years.

In four games this season, Wiggins has taken only a single snap.

The Giants also announced that defensive back Montre Hartage, running back Alfred Morris and guard Chad Slade have been returned to the practice squad.

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Giants work out veteran guard Kenny Wiggins

The New York Giants hosted veteran guard Kenny Wiggins for a workout on Thursday.

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The New York Giants were forced to place guard Will Hernandez on the Reserve/COVID-19 list after his test came back positive on Thursday, which could mean he misses a couple games.

If Hernandez is asymptomatic, he may only miss a Monday night game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. But if he shows symptoms at any point, he will miss at least two weeks.

That obviously creates a void at left guard for the Giants, which is why they held a visit with veteran Kenny Wiggins on Thursday.

Although Wiggins wouldn’t be available in Week 8, he would finish his on-boarding process and be able to play in Week 9 against the Washington Football Team if necessary. However, there is no clear indication the Giants intend to sign him at this point.

Wiggins originally signed with the Baltimore Ravens as an undrafted free agent out of Fresno State in 2011 before spending time with the San Francisco 49ers (2012-2013), Los Angeles Chargers (2013-2017) and, most recently, the Detroit Lions (2018-2020).

The Lions released Wiggins on October 24.

In 10 NFL seasons, Wiggins has appeared in 79 games with 38 starts. In 2017 with the Chargers, he started all 16 games at right guard but has also played left guard over the years.

In four games this season, Wiggins has taken only a single snap.

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Detroit Lions activate Bo Scarbrough and Mike Ford from IR, release Chris Jones and Kenny Wiggins

The Detroit Lions announced they have activated Bo Scarbrough and Mike Ford from injured reserve and released Chris Jones and Kenny Wiggins in corresponding moves.

The Detroit Lions announced they have activated running back Bo Scarbrough and corner Mike Ford from injured reserve, releasing corner Chris Jones and offensive lineman Kenny Wiggins in corresponding moves.

Scarbrough and Ford may play on opposite sides of the ball but their path to the 2020 active roster has been identical.

Both were injured in training camp, made the initial 53-man roster out of camp, and were placed on injured reserve ahead of Week 1. After three weeks on injured reserve, they were eligible to practice in Week 4 but didn’t begin practicing until after the Lions bye in Week 5. After being evaluated during Week 6 and 7 practices, both were determined healthy enough to return to the active roster.

Scarbrough will return to a crowded backfield that has three running backs clearly ahead of him on the depth chart. With electric rookie D’Andre Swift emerging, Adrian Peterson the veteran hammer, and Kerryon Johnson one of the best third-down backs in the NFL, it’s fair to wonder how much playing time is in Scarbrough’s future.

At this stage, Scarbrough looks like an insurance policy for the aging Peterson who has seen his average yards per carry drop in each of the Lions first five games — opening the season with 6.64 YPC in Week 1, then dropping to 5.86, 3.41, 3.27, and 2.67 in consecutive weeks. If Peterson doesn’t stop the freefall, Scarbrough could start stealing some of his snaps.

Ford takes Jones’ spot on the cornerback depth chart and should slot in as the fifth corner behind Desmond Trufant, Amani Oruwariye, Jeff Okudah, and Darryl Roberts. With Trufant ruled OUT for this weekend’s game, it’s very possible we will see Ford supplementing time with any of the above corners.

Wiggins was the 10th offensive lineman on the roster and with the nine above him all at full health, the Lions could afford to release him from the active roster. If he clears waivers, don’t be surprised if he is back with the Lions on the practice squad. Jones, who has jumped between the active roster and practice squad this season,  also has a chance to return to the practice squad if he clears waivers.