Tag: Taiwan Jones

Giants sign Justin Pugh to practice squad

The New York Giants are reuniting with offensive lineman Justin Pugh, signing him to their practice squad ahead of a Week 5 game.

The New York Giants lost two more offensive linemen — John Michael Schmitz and Shane Lemieux — to injury in Week 4 and are in desperate need of reinforcements.

They will get that in the form of a familiar face.

The Giants have signed veteran Justin Pugh to their practice squad. He had worked out for the team last week.

Pugh was selected by the Giants with the 19th overall pick in the 2013 NFL draft out of Syracuse. He started 63 games over five seasons with Big Blue at both tackle and guard. He signed with the Arizona Cardinals as a free agent and played in 57 games over five years for the Cards.

Pugh became a free agent again after last season.

The 6-foot-5, 311-pound Pugh played in just five games in 2022 after suffering a torn ACL in Week 6.

Expectations are that once up to speed, Pugh will be a practice squad elevation with the likelihood being that eventually signs to the 53-man roster.

In order to make room for Pugh, the Giants terminated the practice squad contract of running back Taiwan Jones.

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Giants elevate Taiwan Jones, Oshane Ximines from practice squad

The New York Giants elevated RB Taiwan Jones and LB Oshane Ximines from their practice squad ahead of Week 2 game against the Cardinals.

The New York Giants have elevated running back Taiwan Jones and linebacker Oshane Ximines from their practice squad ahead of a Week 2 game against the Arizona Cardinals.

The 35-year-old Jones is a 13-year NFL veteran with a significant amount of experience. He appeared in 137 career games before joining the Giants, playing primarily on special teams, recording 79 tackles, one forced fumble, and seven fumble recoveries. He’s also returned 84 kickoffs for 1,907 yards.

Jones was elevated for a Week 1 loss to the Dallas Cowboys and took 15 snaps on special teams.

The Giants can only elevate Jones one more time this season before his eligibility runs out.

Ximines, the team’s third-round pick in the 2019 NFL draft, was released as a part of final cuts before being added back to the practice squad.

In 45 career games (nine starts), the 26-year-old Ximines has recorded 67 tackles (34 solo), one forced fumble, 22 QB hits, 6.5 sacks, and six passes defensed.

This is the first elevation for Ximines. He has two remaining this season.

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Giants elevate RB Taiwan Jones from practice squad

The New York Giants have elevated veteran running back Taiwan Jones from their practice squad ahead of a Week 1 game against the Cowboys.

The New York Giants have elevated running back Taiwan Jones from their practice squad ahead of a Week 1 game against the Dallas Cowboys.

The 35-year-old Jones is a 13-year NFL veteran with a significant amount of experience. He’s appeared in 137 career games, playing primarily on special teams, recording 79 tackles, one forced fumble, and seven fumble recoveries. He’s also returned 84 kickoffs for 1,907 yards.

In his limited time on offense, Jones has gained 223 yards rushing and 260 yards receiving with one touchdown.

Jones was originally a fourth-round pick of the then-Oakland Raiders in 2011. After six years with the team, he spent time with the Buffalo Bills when Joe Schoen was their assistant general manager and Brian Daboll was their offensive coordinator.

In 2019, Jones played a season with the Houston Texans before returning to the Bills, where he remained through the 2022 season. He signed with the Giants in late August.

Jones will likely play a key role for special teams coordinator Thomas McGaughey on Sunday night.

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Giants shuffle practice squad after 15-player workout

The New York Giants made six practice squad transactions following a massive 15-player workout on Thursday.

The New York Giants made several changes to their practice squad on Thursday evening, officially adding six players while releasing two others.

Offensive tackle Tyre Phillips and cornerback Gemon Green had their practice squad contracts terminated, effectively giving the Giants six open spots.

Those spots were filled by the additions of running back Taiwan Jones, cornerback Kaleb Hayes, wide receiver Dennis Houston, tight end Tyree Jackson, guard Jalen Mayfield, and tackle Jaylon Thomas.

The 35-year-old Jones, a 2011 fourth-round pick of the Las Vegas Raiders, provides the most NFL experience of the group.

Jones has appeared in 137 career games, playing primarily on special teams. He has a history of returning kickoffs and could be an intriguing potential option for Thomas McGaughey down the line.

Mayfield, a former third-round pick of the Atlanta Falcons, is also an interesting addition. He started all 16 games at left guard in 2021 but missed last season with a lower back injury.

The roster shuffle came after the Giants hosted 15 free agents for workouts in East Rutherford, New Jersey on Thursday.

The 15 players who worked out were Thomas, Jones, cornerbacks Kalon Barnes and D’Angelo Mandell, linebackers Milo Eifler, Aaron Patrick and Ulysees Gilbert, wide receivers T.J. Luther, Reggie Roberson, Josh Vann and Dezmon Patton, edge rusher Jeremiah Martin, quarterback Adrian Martinez, offensive lineman Lecitus Smith, and safety Mark Webb.

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List of remaining unsigned Bills free agents

List of remaining unsigned #Bills free agents from last year’s team:

The Buffalo Bills and rest of the NFL are well into the offseason. However, the market remains open and several players that were on Buffalo’s roster in 2022 are still available to sign.

Here’s a full list of Bills players that currently remain free agents:

3 Bills free agents we are surprised haven’t re-signed yet

3 #Bills free agents we are surprised haven’t re-signed yet (but keep their names in mind, post-draft):

A large amount of the players that were on the 2022 Buffalo Bills roster that became free agents after last season have already figured out their future.

Some notable players, such as linebacker Tremaine Edmunds, have departed. Others, like safety Jordan Poyer, re-signed in Buffalo.

But there are still some that remain available and a few we’re surprised to see still there. Here are three such Bills free agents:

Bills’ Ken Dorsey: We saw the ‘old’ Zack Moss vs. Colts

#Bills’ Ken Dorsey: We saw the ‘old’ Zack Moss vs. #Colts:

In his first season with the Buffalo Bills after being selected in the third round of the 2020 NFL Draft out of Utah, he found himself a contributor in late-game situations thanks to the emergence of Josh Allen’s passing game.

Often running out the clock in the later quarters behind a strong lead on the scoreboard, Moss was consistent in his role and kept the offensive drives moving.

In his second season, however, he did not see the same consistency.

Moss struggled throughout the year, in part due to a lingering ankle injury from the 2020 postseason and the surgery that followed.

With fellow RBs Devin Singletary, Duke Johnson, James Cook, and Tawain Jones in the mix at his position group, the 24-year-old returns to action following a dedicated offseason looking to re-establish himself in a role with the offense.

In Saturday’s preseason contest on Saturday, he began to do just that against the Colts, going for 37 yards on three carries including a 27-yard run.

“I think you kind of saw a little bit of the old Zack in terms of, one, the physicality,” Bills OC Ken Dorsey said while speaking to the media this week. “Like the first play of the game, he’s hitting that thing downhill, lowering his shoulder, getting tough yards (five) on a physical run. And then he comes back later in the game and he cuts one back and bounces out there, makes a guy miss, and extends a run that maybe he might not be able to do last year. It’s exciting to see kind of the health factor coming back.”

For the Bills running back, it’s a chance to get a fresh start and take a step forward after the injury and surgery impacted his 2021 season.
“I didn’t get cleared for camp until the day before camp started last year, so it’s something I’ve never had before, an ankle injury like that,” Moss said to the media following the game. “So it was different, it was hard to manage. Our trainer did a good job of having me at least feeling ready to go each and every week, but you know I feel way better and I was able to get this thing a lot stronger and feel a lot more confident in it in the offseason.”

The improvement in his health has shown thus far in his first appearance back on the field. And his play also impressed his head coach as well.

“He’s just in good shape, he’s focused – his focus is where it needs to be, it appears,” Sean McDermott said during his postgame press session. “I was impressed by his production and the small amount of carries, of course, but what he did when he got the ball in his hands was impressive, both in the run and the pass game which is nice to see. So, I think he’s off to a good start and again, I just think it goes back to the way he worked in the offseason.”

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Buffalo Bills 2022 training camp preview: Running back

#Bills 2022 training camp preview: Running back (via @jdiloro):

Buffalo Bills 2022 training camp kicks off on July 24th. With camp just around the corner, Bills Wire will examine the Bills roster position-by-position. We’ll analyze the new additions and departures to each position group, and provide a glimpse into the future for the team.

Next up is the running back unit:

Bills make Ryan Bates, Taiwan Jones re-signings official

#Bills make Ryan Bates, Taiwan Jones re-signings official:

The Buffalo Bills have acknowledged two recently reported on transactions, making both official.

The team announced on Monday that running back Taiwan Jones and offensive lineman Ryan Bates have signed their previously reported deals.

Jones inks another one-year deal in Buffalo while Bates is now under contract for the next four seasons. 

Jones, 33, returned to the Bills last offseason as well via a one-year deal.

Last season, Jones was the Bills’ third-largest special teams contributor for Buffalo in terms of snaps played. That ranked only behind Tyler Matakevich and Reggie Gilliam.

This offseason, Buffalo promoted Matt Smiley to special teams coordinator. Jones will likely factor into his special teams unit.

Bates was a restricted free agent earlier this offseason and the Bills tendered him. Bates went on to sign an offer sheet from the Chicago Bears and Buffalo matched it so he returns.

The 25-year-old had been reportedly speaking to at least three other NFL teams in recent weeks.

Bates has been a key depth piece along Buffalo’s offense line for a few years since being acquired via trade with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2019. That deal originally mostly had to do with his versatility to play every position on the offensive line, something the Bills still covet.

In 2021, Bates finally got his first dose of starting time.

In Week 15, he began starting at left guard for Buffalo. Even when former starter Jon Feliciano returned to full health, Bates still held onto the job into the playoffs.

Bates originally jumped into the lineup when Ike Boettger went down with a season-ending Achilles injury. Buffalo a;sp announced that Boettger will be back via a one-year deal. 

As free agency opened, the Bills signed Pro Bowl offensive lineman Rodger Saffold, who indicated he’s slated to start at left guard.

Despite that, both Saffold and Bates have the versatility to kick over to the right side of of the offensive line. Out of the gate this summer, it appears Bates and Saffold will be the favorites to start on Buffalo’s O-line in 2022.

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Tracking where Michigan State football alumni were selected in the USFL draft

Tracking where Michigan State football alumni were selected in the USFL draft

The USFL draft was this week, and this should be exciting to football fans as it adds another place for football players to go to in order to work on their craft, put more highlight plays on tape, and hopefully impress an NFL team down the road, or, simply continue playing a game they love.

There were a handful of Michigan State football alumni selected in the draft, and you can see where they ended up below.