Tag: Randy Bullock

Giants work out Randy Bullock, three other kickers

The New York Giants hosted four kickers for a workout on Monday, including ex-Giant Randy Bullock.

With Graham Gano out for the next few weeks, the New York Giants are looking for a new placekicker.

On Monday, the team worked out kickers Randy Bullock, Zane Gonzalez, Riley Patterson, and Tanner Brown.

Head coach Brian Daboll said that Jude McAtamney, who spent all summer on the 90-man roster and is now on the team’s practice squad, would also be considered for the job.

“We’ll work guys out and Jude has been with us so we’ll make a decision off of the workout. Based on how they do in the workout and then Jude,” he told reporters on Monday.

Bullock, of course, has had two stints with the Giants in the past. The first one was a single game in 2016 and the second was six games last season.

Brown spent time with the Los Angeles Rams on their practice squad. Gonzalez has kicked for five other NFL teams in his career, which began in 2017.

Patterson has spent time with nine NFL teams and was most recently on the Washington Commanders’ practice squad.

[lawrence-related id=732930,732926,732909]

Commanders should sign UFL star Jake Bates as their new kicker

The Commanders should give Jake Bates a call.

The Washington Commanders need a kicker. The good news is Washington doesn’t open training camp until late next month, so it has time. In case you missed it, the Commanders released veteran kicker Brandon McManus Sunday after he was accused of sexual assault.

It shouldn’t be that hard to find a kicker, right? Finding and keeping a kicker is not as easy as some believe. The Commanders had Joey Slye for most of the past three seasons but he was allowed to leave in free agency, where they signed McManus, a 10-year veteran.

In some good news for Washington, there is a soon-to-be-free-agent kicker who could solve its problems. That’s Jake Bates from the Michigan Panthers of the United Football League. Being from the UFL, Bates cannot sign with an NFL team until June 16.

Why Bates?

The former University of Arkansas kicker has made 17 of his 22 attempts this season in the UFL. Bates has made three field goals of 60 or more yards in Michigan’s 10 games this season, including a game-winning 64-yarder over St. Louis to win the game in March.

While Bates missed a potential game-winner in the regular-season finale on Saturday, six of his 17 made field goals are from 50 yards or longer. Of his five misses, four came from 50 yards or more.

Some NFL teams don’t like to gamble on young kickers. Bates has been in the NFL before, having kicked in training camp for the Texans last summer.

There aren’t a ton of great options among NFL veterans right now. Randy Bullock is a possible option. If general manager Adam Peters is hesitant to gamble on Bates, he could sign Bates and Bullock and let them compete in training camp.

Bates will have interest from the NFL when he’s allowed to sign. Washington would be wise to give him a call.

Giants injury report: Dexter Lawrence continues to miss practice

New York Giants NT Dexter Lawrence (hamstring) was a projected non-participant in practice on Friday and was joined by three others.

The New York Giants enjoyed an off day on Friday with their final practice scheduled for Saturday ahead of a Christmas Day game against the Philadelphia Eagles.

With most players away from team facilities, that meant little change in terms of injury status. However, the Giants still moved forward with a projected injury report.

Nose tackle Dexter Lawrence was a projected non-participant due to a hamstring issue that has plagued him for several weeks.

“He’s still working through his hamstring,” head coach Brian Daboll told reporters this week.

Even with an extra day off this week, Sexy Dexy seems unlikely to suit up on Monday afternoon against the Eagles.

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

Did not participate: NT Dexter Lawrence (hamstring), DT Rakeem Nunez-Roches (knee), OL Evan Neal (ankle), TE Lawrence Cager (groin)

Limited participant: DT A’Shawn Robinson (back), RB Matt Breida (hamstring), LB Carter Coughlin (neck), P Jamie Gillan (groin), S Xavier McKinney (illness)

Full participant: OL Justin Pugh (calf/neck), TE Darren Waller (hamstring), RB Gary Brightwell (hamstring), OL Matt Peart (shoulder)

[lawrence-related id=721647,721644,721637]

Follow the Giants Wire Podcast:
Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts

Giants’ Thomas McGaughey laments injuries to kickers

Thomas McGaughey isn’t particularly thrilled that the New York Giants will be on their fourth different kicker in Week 16.

The New York Giants have been ravaged by injury this season and no position group has managed to avoid the nightmare, including the team’s kickers.

Back in early November, the Giants lost veteran Graham Gano to a knee injury. He was replaced by Randy Bullock, who also landed on injured reserve (IR) this week as the result of a hamstring issue.

Bullock was forced to leave a Week 15 game against the New Orleans Saints and was replaced by punter Jamie Gillan, who also endured an injury in that contest.

With two kickers on IR and their punter ailing, the Giants are expected to elevate Cade York from their practice squad on Christmas Day against the Philadelphia Eagles. He will technically become their fourth kicker of the season.

“It’s a lot,” special teams coordinator Thomas McGaughey said on Wednesday. “But I told you this early in the season, I said you don’t want to get on the kicker train, because the destination is unknown. Because you don’t know. Once that train gets rolling, you never know where it’s going to end. But it is what it is, we’ll make the adjustments, we won’t make any excuses, just keep it moving.”

The 22-year-old York was originally on the Giants’ 53-man roster but they opted to elevate and start Bullock instead. Once his elevations ran out, the team waived York and signed Bullock to the active roster before adding York back to the practice squad.

McGaughey had a hunch they might need to go back to York, so they’ve continued working with him.

“He’s getting better. He’s working at it,” McGaughey said of York. “Young specialists are always a work in progress, so those guys are always trying to find a routine, trying to tweak certain things and just work on those small details of what he’s doing. Being around Randy and Graham has been huge for him.

“It’s almost unheard of. Even during the offseason, this rarely happens. But he’s been taking advantage of it. And I told him, this is a godsend for you to be able to be around two veteran kickers that have had double-digit years that have both started over 150 games, played in 150 games, in the same building as you at the same time. That’s big for him.”

York started 17 games for the Cleveland Browns last season but was inconsistent. He made just 75 percent of his field goal attempts and missed two point after attempts. Now he’ll have to lace up his cleats and start for the Giants on Christmas Day in Philadelphia, where it will be cold and windy. And very loud.

[lawrence-related id=721602,721550,721580]

Follow the Giants Wire Podcast:
Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts

Giants injury report: Dexter Lawrence, Xavier McKinney not practicing

The New York Giants have released their official Thursday injury report.

The New York Giants were back on the practice field Thursday ahead of a scheduled day off and were down a starter.

Kicker Randy Bullock has been placed on season-ending injured reserve (IR) with a hamstring issue. He will be replaced by fellow kicker Cade York, who is currently on the practice squad, for the remainder of the season.

Meanwhile, all eyes were on the Giants’ trio of defensive tackles — Dexter Lawrence, A’Shawn Robinson, and Rakeem Nunez-Roches, all of whom are banged up.

Lawrence and Nunez-Roches continued to sit out while Robinson was limited.

The Giants’ full Thursday injury report can be found below:

Did not participate: NT Dexter Lawrence (hamstring), S Xavier McKinney (illness) DT Rakeem Nunez-Roches (knee), OL Evan Neal (ankle), TE Lawrence Cager (groin)

Limited participant: DT A’Shawn Robinson (back), RB Matt Breida (hamstring), LB Carter Coughlin (neck), P Jamie Gillan (groin)

Full participant: OL Justin Pugh (calf/neck), TE Darren Waller (hamstring), RB Gary Brightwell (hamstring), OL Matt Peart (shoulder)

[lawrence-related id=721550,721580,721558]

Follow the Giants Wire Podcast:
Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts

Giants sign Timmy Horne, place Randy Bullock on IR

The New York Giants have signed DT Timmy Horne off of the Atlanta Falcons’ practice squad and placed kicker Randy Bullock on IR.

New York Giants nose tackle Dexter Lawrence has been hampered by a hamstring injury in recent weeks and his status for a Christmas Day game against the Philadelphia Eagles is very much up in the air.

After missing practice on Wednesday, the Giants decided to find reinforcements behind Lawrence.

The Giants have signed defensive tackle Timmy Horne off of the Atlanta Falcons’ practice squad.

The 26-year-old Horne originally signed with the Falcons as a free agent following the 2022 NFL draft. He made their 53-man roster out of training camp and appeared in all 17 games with five starts as a rookie, recording 27 tackles (13 solo), one QB hit and one pass defensed.

This season, Horne has spent his time on the practice squad but was elevated for three games, recording four tackles and one pass defensed.

The 6-foot-4, 323-pound Horne played his college ball at Charlotte before transferring to Kansas State in 2021.

In a corresponding roster move, the Giants have placed kicker Randy Bullock (hamstring) on season-ending injured reserve (IR). Cade York will handle the kicking duties in Week 16 and beyond.

[lawrence-related id=721558,721556,721527]

Follow the Giants Wire Podcast:
Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts

Giants injury report: Gary Brightwell, Matt Peart designated to return

The New York Giants have designated RB Gary Brightwell and OL Matt Peart to return from injured reserve (IR).

The New York Giants returned to the practice field on Wednesday ahead of their Christmas Day game against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field.

Their first order of business was designating running back Gary Brightwell and offensive lineman Matt Peart to return from injured reserve (IR). Both will likely be able to suit up in Week 16 against the Philadelphia Eagles.

“We’ll open the window for Brightwell, open the window for Peart. Both those guys,” head coach Brian Daboll said.

Meanwhile, nose tackle Dexter Lawrence missed practice as he continues to deal with a hamstring injury. He was joined by kicker Randy Bullock, who suffered a similar injury in Sunday’s 24-6 loss to the New Orleans Saints.

Daboll is less than optimistic that Bullock will play on Monday, suggesting that Cade York will be elevated from the practice squad.

“He’s not great. Yeah, he’s not great, so that’s something we’ll work through here and see where he is. But I’m not expecting him to be ready,” he said of Bullock.

The Giants did not release a projected injury report with an extra day available on Saturday.

[lawrence-related id=721482,721466,721460]

Giants report card: How we graded Big Blue in Week 15 loss

The New York Giants fell to the New Orleans Saints, 24-6, in Week 15 and the Giants Wire team grades reflect that performance.

The New York Giants suffered a devastating defeat, 24-6, to the New Orleans Saints.

After a strong opening drive that resulted in a field goal, the Giants would slowly let things unravel until the game got out of hand. With this loss, Big Blue falls to 5-9 and is far behind in the race for the last Wild Card spot.

Here’s a quick breakdown of what we saw during the game and how we graded the Giants in this loss.

Tommy DeVito magic is over as Giants fall to Saints, 24-6

The Tommy DeVito magic ended on Sunday, through little fault of his own, as the New York Giants fell to the New Orleans Saints, 24-6.

The New York Giants traveled down to The Big Easy to face the New Orleans Saints at the Caesars Superdome on Sunday in a matchup of two teams attempting to keep their postseason hopes alive.

The Giants came into the game riding a three-game winning streak while the Saints are coming off a 28-6 win in Week 14 over Carolina that stopped a three-game losing streak.

Here’s how things went…

Giants kicker Randy Bullock (hamstring) questionable to return vs. Saints

Giants kicker Randy Bullock (hamstring) questionable to return vs. Saints

This could be big. New York Giants kicker Randy Bullock nailed a 56-yard field goal against the New Orleans Saints on Sunday, but he might be done for the day already. Bullock injured his hamstring on the ensuing kickoff and had to receive medical attention on the Giants sideline. The team announced that he was questionable to return.

If he can’t get back into the game, the Giants would likely have to ask punter Jamie Gillan to try his hand (ah, foot) at it. Former LSU Tigers kicker Cade York is on their practice squad but he was not elevated for this game and so is ineligible to play. Things could get dicey for New York quickly.

With that said, opposing kickers have had a lot of success inside the Caesars Superdome — especially on long-distance kicks. Bullock’s 56-yarder was the third successful field goal of 50-plus yards by an opposing kicker this season, and the Saints’ opponents are 7-of-8 from that range since the start of the 2021 season.

[lawrence-auto-related count=4]