New York Giants headlines for Friday

Good morning, New York Giants fans!

Giants’ GM Joe Schoen on Darius Slayton, cap moves, Kenny Golladay, Kadarius Toney, more | Big Blue View

Schoen addresses wide variety of topics on Thursday, including which games he is going to scout this weekend, WRs Darius Slayton, Kenny Golladay — who he revealed had an offseason procedure —a nd Kadarius Toney, the rash of injuries the team suffered during camp and attempts to clean up the salary cap.

“The situation that we’re in we’ll probably have to re-structure something (a player contract) here going into next week. That’s something we’ll do. We’re still working through a couple different scenarios," said Schoen. “We’ll get where we need to get where we can get through the season. The situation is the situation. It’s the hand we were dealt and we’re going to do the best we can with what we have.”

Giants release LB Blake Martinez | Big Blue View

The New York Giants announced Thursday evening that they have released linebacker Blake Martinez. The Giants claimed OL Tyre Phillips from the Baltimore Ravens in a corresponding roster move.

Martinez missed the 2021 season with a torn ACL, but the Giants had counted on Martinez to return as the MIKE linebacker in their new defense. The team and Martinez agreed on a contract restructure to lower his salary cap hit back in March. Martinez had seen a declining role in Wink Martindale’s defense, as the “defensive quarterback” duties were shifted from the middle linebacker position to Xavier McKinney at safety. Martinez, a captain last year, was also not voted one of the team’s 10 captains for the upcoming season.

ESPN’s Jordan Raanan reported that the decision to move on was mutual between the player and team. Martinez had been excused from practice on Wednesday.

Giants roster tracker: Tony Jefferson signing is finally official | Big Blue View

The New York Giants’ roster merry-go-round continued to spin at a dizzying pace on Thursday morning, with the team swapping four spots on its 16-man Practice Squad.

In are OL Wyatt Davis, DE Henry Mondeaux, DB Tony Jefferson and LB Charles Wiley. Out are DB Darren Evans, OT Roy Mbaeteka, OT Garrett McGhin and DB Nate Meadors. Additionally, multiple media reports stated the Giants were signing Hard Knocks star WR Kalil Pimpleton to the practice squad.

The big news there is that the addition of Jefferson, a veteran safety entering his ninth season, is finally official. That move has been expected since the Baltimore Ravens cut the 30-year-old, who spent three full seasons and part of a fourth with Wink Martindale in Baltimore.

Can Kenny Golladay and Kadarius Toney turn the corner this season? | ESPN

Golladay and Toney are the ultimate enigmas entering this season, especially after what unfolded this summer. Golladay was the Giants’ prized free agent acquisition last offseason but didn’t catch a single touchdown pass in his first year with the team.

Toney is the situation to watch most closely. Just how patient will this new regime of Daboll and general manager Joe Schoen be with a player they didn’t draft? Toney is a 2021 first-round pick brimming with talent, but he just can’t —or seemingly every reason imaginable— stay on the field. He didn’t appear in a preseason game and recently has been dealing with a hamstring injury.

Ranking the NFL teams most likely to go from worst to first in 2022 | CBSSports.com

If the Giants are going to succeed in 2022, they're going to need Brian Daboll to work a miracle with Daniel Jones. Over the past 10 years, every team in the NFC has won the division at least once... except for the Giants, and 2022 doesn't feel like the season where that streak is going to end.

Daboll might get this team to seven or eight wins, but it's hard to imagine him winning the division title with this roster. If that happens, the Giants should sign him to a lifetime contract on the spot.

Giants confident Wink Martindale's scheme can help pass rush | New York Post

No matter how often they blitz, the Giants will need to find a way to get pressure with a four-man rush, and to do that, they’ll need something from the edge. That equation gets a lot more challenging if they are down Nos. 5 and 51.

“What gives me confidence is just seeing everybody throughout camp, throughout OTAs,” defensive tackle Leonard Williams said. “X-man [Oshane Ximines] and [Tomon] Fox and a lot of those guys that are gonna stand in place for [Thibodeaux and Ojulari] for however much time they miss. I don’t know how much time they’re gonna miss, but whoever’s in there, I have confidence that they know what they’re doing and they’re gonna execute their job. And I think me and Dex are gonna be able to do a good job of helping lead whoever’s up there rushing.”

Agent’s Take: Ten offensive bounce-back candidates | CBSSports.com

RB Saquon Barkley’s stellar debut season, in which he led the NFL with 2,028 yards from scrimmage (combined rushing and receiving yards) and earned 2018 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year honors in the process, seems like a distant memory. He had a lackluster 2021 in his return from a 2020 season where he was limited to two games because of a torn right ACL. Barkley had 593 rushing yards with 3.7 yards per carry in 13 games last season. The second overall pick in the 2018 draft is in danger of his five-year rookie contract, averaging $7,682,350 per year, which includes his current $7.217 million option year salary, being the biggest deal of his NFL career.

Also mentioned were Giants WR Kenny Golladay and Jacksonville TE Evan Engram.

Giants rookie report: How draft picks fared this summer, what to expect in 2022 | The Athletic

The Giants are undergoing a youth movement thanks in large part to new general manager Joe Schoen’s trades that accumulated 11 picks in his first draft. The hope is that Schoen’s first draft class can set the foundation for the Giants’ latest rebuild. The Athletic's Dan Duggan reviewed how the rookie class has performed to date and what to expect this season.

Eli Manning, blackmailing his brother to appear on the show this year

One thing we learned about all 32 NFL teams after training camp and preseason | PFF

The Giants had an excellent first round of the draft in securing Evan Neal and Kayvon Thibodeaux with their picks. Even good NFL players don’t always hit the ground running, though, and each player showed signs of that in limited preseason action. Thibodeaux recorded just one hurry before he was injured with a cut block he took on with incorrect technique, and Neal endured some struggles — particularly in pass protection — in his two games. Both players may improve the team significantly, but it might not happen early.

2023 NFL Draft watch: 10 games scouts can’t wait to see this weekend | The Athletic

Notre Dame-Ohio State is the most-anticipated game of the weekend, for both fans and evaluators that Giants GM Joe Schoen said he will be attendance for. Ohio State third-year sophomore QB C.J Stroud (6’3, 220) showed gradual maturation last season, and his development in 2022 should provide important context for his ceiling projection.

Meanwhile, third-year junior TE Michael Mayer (6’5, 251) is arguably the best player in the country at his position.

This week’s opponent

Titans RB Derrick Henry gets $2M raise for 2022 season, making him highest-paid RB | NFL.com

NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported Thursday the Tennessee Titans reworked Derrick Henry's contract, giving the running back a $2 million raise, per a source informed of the situation. Henry was slated to make $12 million this year. The $2 million bump to $14 million makes him the highest-paid RB this season in terms of 2022 cash -- leapfrogging Ezekiel Elliott, who is due $12.4 million.

The 28-year-old signed a four-year, $50 million contract in 2020. With no more guaranteed money on the deal and Henry slated to be a free agent following the 2023 campaign, an extension remains likely after this season. In essence, the Titans are giving Henry a bump in pay with eyes on redoing the deal in the offseason, assuming he has another monster campaign.

Josh Gordon to sign with Titans practice squad | ProFootballTalk

Josh Gordon is signing with the Tennessee Titans practice squad after being cut by the Kansas City Chiefs earlier this week.

Gordon was reinstated after his latest suspension last September. He then joined the Chiefs, appearing in 12 games with seven starts. But he made only five catches for 32 yards with a touchdown, targeted only 14 times.

WR Treylon Burn needs to be featured on offense | PFF

Treylon Burks didn’t appear to have a particularly good preseason. He gained just 0.8 yards per route run and made just one catch for four yards after two games. But the issue was more to do with backup quarterbacks failing to get the ball in the air when he was open deep, which happened in every game he played in. Burks is a dynamic athlete who needs Ryan Tannehill and the starting offense on the field with him to reach his true potential.

Titans add WR Cody Hollister to 53-man roster, will place Racey McMath on IR | Music City Miracles

The Tennessee Titans are signing wide receiver Cody Hollister to their 53-man roster, per General Manager Jon Robinson.

Hollister will replace Racey McMath, who Robinson confirmed will begin the season on Injured Reserve (I.R.). McMath made the initial 53-man roster on Tuesday. Had McMath been placed on IR prior to Tuesday’s deadline, the former LSU receiver would have missed the entire regular season. By doing things this way, McMath, reportedly dealing with a hip injury, will miss a minimum of four regular-season contests, and can return for Week 5 if healthy.

Around the league

Russell Wilson, Denver Broncos agree to 5-year extension worth $245 million | ESPN

The Broncos agreed with Wilson on a five-year, $245 million extension that includes $165 million in guaranteed money. The megadeal is the third-most lucrative contract in NFL history in terms of guaranteed money, behind only Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson's $230 million and Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray's $189.5 million.

Wilson, 33, is now under contract with the Broncos through the 2028 season for $296 million. The extension pays Wilson, who has two years remaining on his previous deal signed with the Seahawks, an average salary of $49 million. He is set to make $24 million this season and $27 million next year before the extension kicks in.

ESPN makes announcement regarding Eli and Peyton Manning | nj.com

ESPN and The Walt Disney Company will expand the agreement with Peyton Manning and his Omaha Productions company, a relationship that launched the Monday Night Football with Peyton and Eli this past NFL season.

The extension will add a fourth year (through 2024 season) for Monday Night Football with Peyton and Eli, featuring a 10-game annual slate of alternative productions to ESPN’s traditional Monday Night Football telecast. The Manning’s schedule this year includes the Giants-Dallas game Week 3.

Jimmy Garoppolo: I think things are working out pretty well | ProFootballTalk

An offseason that started with no one believing quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo would remain with the 49ers ended with exactly that outcome after Garoppolo agreed to revise his contract in order to stick with the NFC West club as a backup to Trey Lance.

“After about three, four weeks of that, it wasn’t happening, it wasn’t working,” Garoppolo said. “We were like, ‘Alright, we’ve got to get the surgery.’ That’s when we made that choice and I’m happy the way it worked out. I don’t think it was the exact way I wanted it to work out but everything happens for a reason. . . . Me, I’m happy with where I’m at. Happy to be the Niners. I think the Niners are happy to have me back. I think things are working out pretty well.”

Sam Howell standing out as part of the Washington Commanders' future | FOX Sports

According to league sources, some NFL teams had a second-round grade on then-North Carolina quarterback Sam Howell before he slipped all the way to the top of the fifth round. That's when the Commanders, who weren't even looking for another QB at the time, pounced. And this summer, they haven't been disappointed with that decision at all.

"He has a very bright future in this league," Washington coach Ron Rivera said after Howell played the entire preseason finale, a 17-15 loss in Baltimore. "He has a lot of growing to do. I know [offensive coordinator Scott Turner and quarterbacks coach Ken Zampese] will go through this with a fine-tooth comb and emphasize the things that he could've done better.

Commanders placing RB Brian Robinson on reserve/non-football injury list | NFL.com

The Commanders are placing RB Brian Robinson on the team's reserve/non-football injury list, per sources informed of the plans. The decision will keep Robinson off the field until at least Week 5.

Robinson was shot in the glute and leg during an attempted robbery or carjacking on Sunday in Washington, D.C. He underwent successful surgery on Sunday, was released from the hospital Monday, and examined by club doctors Tuesday.

In case you missed it

• Jason Pinnock film study: What does new safety bring to Giants?
• Giants practice squad tracker: Tony Jefferson, Quincy Roche, Davis Webb highlight 16-player squad
• Giants roster moves: Giants quickly bring back four veteran players

BBV mailbag

Have a Giants-related question? E-mail it to [email protected] and it might be featured in our weekly mailbag.

BBV podcast

You can find and subscribe to Big Blue View radio from the show’s home page

Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Pocket Casts | Spotify | Stitcher | RSS

BBV social platforms

BBV on Twitter | BBV on Facebook | BBV on Instagram | BBV Radio (available on all of your favorite podcast platforms) | BBV on YouTube