Tag: Will Hernandez

New Cardinals OL Will Hernandez betting on himself in 2022

“I’m going to take what I can get and I’m going to show why I deserve what it is that I want later on after I show what it is exactly I can do.”

The contract numbers are not yet out for newly signed Arizona Cardinals offensive lineman Will Hernandez, but the one-year deal he signed isn’t expected to be much. Despite being his first foray into free agency in the NFL, Hernandez wasn’t looking to cash in.

“I didn’t want to think too much into it,” he said Monday when he was introduced to the media after signing his contract. “Things haven’t been going as smoothly as they could have these last few years, so I’m not going to sit here and demand anything or say I want this or that.”

Hernandez, a former second-round draft pick of the New York Giants, was considered a promising guard coming out of college at UTEP. He had a solid rookie season in 2018 but the perception is that he has underperformed.

He knows the perception. He was not in a good situation with the New York Giants.

He is betting on himself with the Cardinals. He believes he can cash in in 2023.

“I’m going to take what I can get and I’m going to show why I deserve what it is that I want later on after I show what it is exactly I can do,” he said. “I’m not too picky right now.

“My mentality is come out here, show why I deserve it and get it done.”

Expected to be the Cardinals’ starting right guard, if it works out for him and he plays well, that benefits the Cardinals, and they have proven they are willing to reward players in those scenarios.

Here’s to hoping Hernandez has the first of many solid years in Arizona.

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Cardinals sign ex-Giants OL Will Hernandez

The Arizona Cardinals have signed former New York Giants guard Will Hernandez.

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Free agency is in full swing, which means that the New York Giants aren’t just looking for players to add, but which players to keep.

Some players don’t give them the choice, though, which is what makes free agency so exciting — you never know which players will end up on each team.

Former Giants offensive lineman Will Hernandez has decided that his time in New York is over. He signed with the Arizona Cardinals on Monday.

Hernandez was drafted in the second round of the 2018 NFL draft (the 34th overall pick). Prior to entering the draft, Hernandez played in 49 games over his career at the University of Texas-El Paso. After the 2016 season, he was named second-team All-American, and after the 2017 season, he was named to the Conference USA first-team.

The Giants had high hopes for Hernandez, who showed real promise as a rookie, but that promise was not realized. 2021 was Hernandez’s worst season in New York, by far, so it’s no real surprise that the Giants didn’t highly pursue him when his contract was up.

Enter the Cardinals, who have decided to sign Hernandez to a one-year contract. He will reunite with one of his college coaches in Arizona, Sean Kugler, who currently serves as the Cardinals’ offensive line coach. He was the head coach at UTEP when Hernandez was a player.

Should the Cards sign Hernandez to a large deal, it may factor into the compensatory pick formula. But if not, he won’t. And, interestingly, the Giants just signed guard Max Garcia, a former Cardinal.

It’s not a swap, per se, but in an odd turn of events, Arizona and New York have “traded” players.

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2 free agent signings are potential bargains for Cardinals

There is the potential for high upside with the signings of cornerback Jeff Gladney and guard Will Hernandez.

The Arizona Cardinals have not made a splash this offseason free agency yet. Their biggest contracts have gone to re-sign two of their own free agents — tight end Zach Ertz and running back James Conner.

They have only added three players in free agency who were not on the team last season.

Two of those additions have the potential to be big bargains, depending on  their performance in the upcoming season, much like their deal with Conner last season was.

Which two of their additions have high upside with a low price tag?

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OL Will Hernandez signs one-year deal to join Cardinals

After four seasons with the Giants, the former second-round pick is reunited with Sean Kugler, who was his college head coach.

The Arizona Cardinals are adding an offensive lineman in free agency. After a reported visit over the weekend, offensive lineman Will Hernandez signed a one-year contract to join the Cardinals, the team announced Monday.

Hernandez reunites with Sean Kugler, the Cardinals’ offensive line coach and run-game coordinator. Kugler was Hernandez’ college head coach at UTEP before he was drafted in the second round by the New York Giants.

Hernandez was a starter for four seasons for the Giants, playing both guard positions, but was their starting right guard last season.

He is 6-2 and 327 lbs and has a mean streak. It is a mentality that perhaps the Cardinals are missing.

They essentially swapped guards with the Giants, who agreed to terms with Max Garcia, the Cardinals’ starting right guard for much of last season.

Hernandez will compete with Josh Jones and Justin Murray for the starting right guard job. When we find out the financial details of the contract, we will have a better idea about what expectations are for him in 2022.

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Cardinals bringing in former Giants OL Will Hernandez

Hernandez was coached in college at UTEP by Sean Kugler and was a starter for four seasons at guard for the Giants.

The Arizona Cardinals have not yet made any moves in the offseason to address the offensive line. That could be changing.

According to Arizona Sports’ John Gambadoro, they will bring in former New York Giants guard Will Hernandez for a visit this weekend.

Hernandez was a second-round pick in 2018 of the Giants and spent four seasons there. He played collegiately at UTEP, where Cardinals offensive line coach and run-game coordinator Sean Kugler was head coach.

Coming out of college, Hernandez was considered one of the best and meanest guard prospects in the draft.

The 6-2, 327-lb lineman was a starter all four seasons he played for the Giants. He appeared in 62 games, starting 56. He dealt with an ankle injury in 2020, the only season in which he did not play and start every game.

He mostly played left guard for the Giants but was their starting right guard in 2021, a position the Cardinals needed to address this offseason.

If he ends up signing with the team, the starting right guard job would be a competition between Hernandez, Josh Jones and Justin Murray.

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As expected, Giants do not use franchise or transition tags

The New York Giants did not use their franchise or transition tags at the NFL’s deadline, which was expected to be the case.

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As anticipated, the New York Giants did not use the franchise or transition tag on any of their impending free agents this year.

The Giants chose to allow all of their free agency eligible players to hit the marketplace next week, including tight end Evan Engram, safety Jabrill Peppers, guard Will Hernandez and outside linebacker Lorenzo Carter.

The decision was basically made for the Giants as they are still approximately $7 million over the salary cap with just a week remaining before the league new year begins.

The Giants used the franchise tag the last two years on defensive lineman Leonard Williams and have only resorted to it sparingly since the league expanded and restructured in 2002: Jason Pierre-Paul (2015 and 2017), Steve Weatherford (2012) and Brandon Jacobs (2009).

The franchise tag salaries for each position is listed below and even if the Giants were flush with available cap space, they likely would not use it on any of the current players mentioned above.

The Giants are also on the clock when it comes to the fifth-year options on quarterback Daniel Jones and defensive lineman Dexter Lawrence. Those decisions must be made by early May.

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4 free agent guards the Texans should consider

The Houston Texans have decisions to make across the roster. Here are four free agent guards who could help the offensive line.

The Houston Texans have many needs to consider as they upgrade their roster for the 2022 season.

New offensive line coach George Warhop seeks to get the Texans’ yards per carry up. Houston generated 3.4 yards per carry last season, the lowest in the NFL.

“The one thing that you’re always going to look at, I’m going to look at is what is our yards per carry,” Warhop told reporters on Feb. 22. “I want that to be above 4.3, 4.4, somewhere in there.”

Here are four free agent guards who could help the Texans improve along the interior of their offensive line. All contract figures are according to Spotrac.

2022 free agency: Should Giants re-sign these players or let them go?

For the New York Giants, it’s time to look ahead and decisions will soon have to be made on several impending free agents.

The New York Giants and their fans want a clean slate heading into the 2022 season. That means shutting the door on some players that they once considered investing in long-term.

They don’t have many impending free agents to begin with but of the ones they do have, there’s not too many they should be in a hurry to bring back.

Here’s a quick rundown of the players in that group and what action the Giants should take with them.

Giants close out 2021 season with another humiliating dud

In fitting fashion, the New York Giants closed out the 2021 season with another humiliating loss — this time at the hands of Washington.

The New York Giants took on the Washington Football Team in a nearly empty MetLife Stadium on Sunday. However, the handful of fans in attendance still managed to be loud enough so that head coach Joe Judge — as he requested — could hear their boos.

The game itself was similar to the past several. There was little to note offensively, the play-calling was horrendous and it was over long before the final whistle blew.

With the loss, the Giants fall to 4-13 on the season and Judge becomes the first coach in franchise history to lose 13 games in a single season.

Let the firings and retires begin.

Logan Ryan, James Bradberry were highest-graded Giants in Week 16

Logan Ryan and James Bradberry were the highest-graded New York Giants in Week 16, and Devontae Booker graded out well, too.

The New York Giants were completely dismantled by the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 16. The final score of 34-10 does not properly explain just how poorly the Giants played across the board.

But, as usual, there were at least a few needles in the haystack; a few players who performed at a higher level than their teammates.

Safety Logan Ryan was one of those players, earning a team-high grade of 80.5 courtesy of Pro Football Focus. He was followed closely by cornerbacks James Bradberry (75.1) and Jarren Williams (74.4).

Other notable defensive grades include linebacker Lorenzo Carter (66.5), defensive lineman Leonard Williams (60.8) and linebacker Jaylon Smith (52.8).

The lowest-graded Giants on defense were defensive lineman Raymond Johnson III (26.7) and linebacker Benardrick McKinney (25.2).

On the other side of the football, running back Devontae Booker led the way with a grade of 70.4. Behind Booker were wide receiver Kadarius Toney (69.0), right guard Will Hernandez (66.3) and left tackle Andrew Thomas (66.0).

Other notable offensive grades include running back Saquon Barkley (58.8), tight end Evan Engram (58.2) and wide receiver Kenny Golladay (55.8).

The lowest-graded Giants on offense were quarterbacks Mike Glennon (40.0) and Jake Fromm (34.2).

Rookie linebacker Elerson Smith earned the team’s highest special teams grade (91.1).

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