Steelers place tandem of CBs on injured lists

The Steelers made a handful of roster moves on Saturday.

The Pittsburgh Steelers announced several roster moves on Saturday. The team placed practice squad cornerback Zyon Gilbert on the Practice Squad/Injured list. The team also placed cornerback C.J. Henderson on the Reserve/Injured List. In a corresponding move, the Steelers elevated running back Jonathan Ward to the active roster.

 

 

The Steelers take on the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday with the lead in the AFC North on the line. The move to elevate Ward is in response to running back Jaylen Warren being listed OUT for this week’s game.

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Steelers add wide recever, defensive back to roster

The Steelers signed two free agents on Wednesday.

On Wednesday, the Pittsburgh Steelers announced they had added a wide receiver. No, not that wide receiver. The team announced they had signed wide receiver T.J. Luther and defensive back Zyon Gilbert.

Luther is headed into his second NFL season. Luther was originally signed by the New York Jets as an undrafted free agent in 2023. Luther spent the 2023 season with the Jets and New England Patriots. Luther played his college ball at Gardner-Webb.

Gilbert joined the NFL in 2022 as an undrafted free agent out of Florida Atlantic. In two seasons, Gilbert has been with the New York Giants and Green Bay Packers. He appeared in three games for the Packers in 2023 and got one start. He finished 2023 with 14 tackles.

The Steelers continue to shuffle the training camp roster as they prepare to take on the Buffalo Bills in Week Two. The Steelers fell to the Houston Texans 20-12 in their first preseason game.

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7 players tried out for the Broncos last week

The Broncos brought in one running back, one tight end and five cornerbacks for tryouts last week.

Seven players tried out for the Denver Broncos last week.

After bringing in running back Hassan Hall and tight end John Samuel Shenker for tryouts on Tuesday, the Broncos also brought in five cornerbacks for tryouts on Friday.

Denver hosted Caleb Biggers, Zyon Gilbert, Thakarius “BoPete” Keyes, Duron Lowe, and Reese Taylor at their UCHealth Training Center on Oct. 20.

Biggers (5-10, 202 pounds) played college football at Boise State and signed with the Cleveland Browns as an undrafted free agent this spring. He was cut by the Browns when they set their 53-man roster this summer.

Gilbert (6-0, 193 pounds) played at Florida Atlantic before signing with the New York Giants as a college free agent in 2022. He appeared in three games last season (including one start) and totaled 14 tackles and a sack.

Keyes (6-1, 200 pounds) was drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs in the seventh round of the 2020 NFL draft out of Tulane. Since then, he has spent time with eight NFL teams, marking appearances in 13 games.

Lowe (5-10, 190 pounds) played college football at Liberty and signed with the Los Angeles Rams as an undrafted free agent last year. He more recent spent time with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Chiefs.

Taylor (5-9, 188 pounds) signed with Kansas City as a college free agent out of Purdue this spring, but he failed to make their 53-man roster in August.

At the time of publication, none of the seven players who tried out for the Broncos have been signed.

Giants fall to Jets, 32-24, in Week 3 of preseason: 7 takeaways

The New York Giants fell to the New York Jets in Week 3 of the preseason and here are 7 quick takeaways from the game.

The New York Giants dropped their preseason finale to the New York Jets, 32-24, on Saturday night at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

Here are seven takeaways from the final game of their exhibition season.

Giants elevate Zyon Gilbert, Makai Polk from practice squad

The New York Giants have elevated two undrafted rookies, CB Zyon Gilbert and WR Makai Polk, from their practice squad.

The New York Giants elevated defensive back Zyon Gilbert and wide receiver Makai Polk from the practice squad ahead of their NFC Divisional Playoff game against the Philadelphia Eagles on Saturday night.

Gilbert, an undrafted rookie, has appeared in three games for the Giants this season, including a Week 13 start against the Washington Commanders. He also appeared in a Week 14 game against the Eagles, registering five tackles, one QB hit, and one sack.

The 6-foot-3, 197-pound Polk is another undrafted rookie. He began his career with the Baltimore Ravens but was later signed to the Giants’ practice squad on September 28. He had not previously been elevated this season and has never appeared in an NFL game.

Polk played his college ball at Mississippi State. In 2021, he set multiple records with 105 receptions for 1,046 yards and nine touchdowns.

Given the team’s health, it’s likely that both Gilbert and Polk will be listed among the game’s inactives.

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Giants activate Xavier McKinney from NFI, release David Sills

In an unexpected turnaround, the New York Giants have activated safety Xavier McKinney from NFI and he will play on Sunday versus the Colts.

New York Giants safety Xavier McKinney returned to practice this week, officially opening his 21-day window to return from the non-football injury (NFI) list.

McKinney last played in Week 8 against the Seattle Seahawks before fracturing several fingers on his left hand in an ATV accident during the team’s bye. The injury required surgery and stabilizing pins.

Head coach Brian Daboll said the chances of McKinney playing in a Week 17 game against the Indianapolis Colts were not good, but that outlook changed over the past 48 hours.

On Saturday evening, the Giants activated McKinney from NFI and gave him the green light to play on Sunday.

“Man, I want to get back big time. The coaches know that, and the trainers know that. They know that I really want to get back and I’m kind of running out of patience here,” McKinney said on Thursday.

In order to clear space for McKinney on the 53-man roster, the Giants released wide receiver David Sills. He is likely to return to the practice squad next week.

Additionally, the Giants elevated tight end Chris Myarick and defensive back Zyon Gilbert from the practice squad to the active roster.

Myarick had been waived and re-signed to the reserve unit earlier in the week. That swap allowed the Giants to claim offensive lineman Wyatt Davis off of waivers from the Arizona Cardinals.

Gilbert’s elevation likely means that cornerback Adoree’ Jackson (knee) will be inactive against the Colts. He was previously listed as doubtful to play.

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What we learned from Giants’ 20-20 tie with Commanders

The New York Giants tied the Washington Commanders, 20-20, in Week 13 and here’s some of what we learned from that game.

The New York Giants played the Washington Commanders to a 20-20 tie on Sunday, a result that could either be helpful or hurtful to their postseason chances — depending on where you stand.

The tie was the Giants’ first since November 23, 1997, which also came against Washington, and just their third in the last 50 years.

Here are some things we learned in Week 13.

Giants activate Azeez Ojulari, Tony Jefferson off of IR

The New York Giants made a series of roster moves ahead of their Week 13 game, including the activation of LB Azeez Ojulari.

The New York Giants made a flurry of roster moves ahead of their Week 13 game against the Washington Commanders, including the official activation of edge rusher Azeez Ojulari.

In addition to Ojulari, safety Tony Jefferson was also activated off of injured reserve and returned to the 53-man roster. Both are expected to play significant roles on Sunday.

In a separate move, the Giants signed tight end Nick Vannett from their practice squad to the active roster. Tight end Tanner Hudson was waived in a corresponding transaction.

Finally, defensive tackle Vernon Butler and cornerback Zyon Gilbert were elevated from the practice squad.

Once again, safety/linebacker Landon Collins was passed over and will not play against his former team.

Offensive lineman Ben Bredeson remains on IR.

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Giants officially sign 13 undrafted rookie free agents

The New York Giants have officially signed 13 undrafted rookie free agents ahead of their three-day minicamp.

The New York Giants will hold their three-day rookie minicamp beginning on Friday and that meant the arrival of many players on Thursday. It also meant the time had come to officially sign some contracts.

Following the NFL’s schedule release, the Giants officially announced the signing of 13 undrafted rookie free agents — many of whom we had been made aware of previously.

The 13 signees were as follows:

  • TE Austin Allen
  • DB Yusuf Corker
  • DT Jabari Ellis
  • DB Darren Evans
  • DB Zyon Gilbert
  • FB Jeremiah Hall
  • DT Christopher Hinton
  • TE Andre Miller
  • G Josh Rivas
  • DB Trenton Thompson
  • DT Antonio Valentino
  • RB Jashaun Corbin
  • EDGE Tomon Fox

In addition to those 13 players, the Giants have invited a slew of others for tryouts. And while those names have not yet been released, it’s expected that several NFL veterans will also be trying out for a spot on the 90-man roster.

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Chiefs hosted Florida Atlantic DB Zyon Gilbert on a top-30 visit

The #Chiefs hosted versatile defensive back prospect Zyon Gilbert on a top-30 visit per report.

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Another day, another newly reported top-30 visit for the Kansas City Chiefs. This time they’re looking at a versatile defensive back prospect with experience playing both cornerback and safety.

According to the Draft Network’s Justin Melo, the Chiefs are one of three teams to have hosted Florida Atlantic DB Zyon Gilbert on a top-30 visit. He also previously met with the Miami Dolphins and the Cincinnati Bengals per Melo.

Gilbert (6-foot, 193 pounds) started off his career playing safety before switching to cornerback during his final two seasons with Florida Atlantic. Usually, things go the opposite way, but not for Gilbert. He’s been a highly-productive player with the Owls at the cornerback position over the past two seasons, with 96 total tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, one sack, three interceptions, 15 passes defended and one forced fumble. His junior season was his best as a safety, with 48 total tackles, two interceptions and eight passes defended.

This is a player who has a really good feel for zone coverage from his time playing safety. He was pretty sticky in coverage while playing corner in the C-USA, which led to teams not throwing his way often the past two seasons. Athleticism is also the name of the game for Gilbert, who flashed big-time during his pro-day workout. He posted a 4.40s 40-yard dash, a 40-inch vertical and a 138-inch broad jump.

Gilbert wouldn’t be the first player from FAU that the Chiefs have taken an interest in. Back in 2019, they signed DBs Herb Miller and Andrew Soroh as undrafted free agents, though neither player ended up making the team.

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