Getty The New York Giants just released a 2023 draft pick from the practice squad.
The New York Giants have had quite a few misses in the NFL draft in recent years, and it appears that safety Gervarrius Owens can officially be classified as one of them.
“The Giants cut S Gervarrius Owens from the practice squad per the transaction wire,” The Athletic’s Dan Duggan relayed on October 29. He added that the “seventh-round pick last year [only] appeared in three games on special teams last season.”
Owens has been cut in the past, but this release feels more final. This isn’t the 53-man roster cutdown or a stint on the practice squad, this is a midseason departure from the organization.
The second-year defensive back was given the opportunity to battle undrafted rookie Alex Johnson — among others — for the fourth and final safety role this summer, but a knee injury slowed his progress during training camp and the preseason. In the end, neither made the active roster as the Giants elected to claim safety Anthony Johnson Jr. off waivers from the Green Bay Packers.
Later, they also signed 25-year-old safety Raheem Layne to the practice squad. With Owens gone, Layne and cornerbacks Greg Stroman and Art Green are the only three defensive backs remaining on the practice squad.
Anthony Johnson Jr. Has Only Dressed for 2 Games With Giants
As mentioned above, the player that Big Blue chose to roster over Owens and Alex Johnson was Anthony Johnson. With those two now gone, it’d be nice if the latter Johnson was contributing a bit more in 2024.
According to Pro Football Focus, Anthony Johnson has only dressed for two games this season — Weeks 6 and 8. During those outings, he’s logged 16 total snaps on special teams and zero snaps on defense.
To be fair, a team’s fourth safety doesn’t typically have much of an impact outside of special teams, but Johnson has done very little in that regard too.
PFF has awarded him a 64.2 special teams grade over his first two appearances. Per the grading site, he’s been utilized mostly on kick return coverage (8 snaps) and punt return (7 snaps), with 1 lone snap on the kick return unit. Johnson has yet to record any positive or negative statistics.
As of now, the Giants are all set at safety with a trio made up of rookie Tyler Nubin, fourth-year pro Jason Pinnock and third-year pro Dane Belton.
Giants Safeties Tyler Nubin & Jason Pinnock Struggle vs. Steelers
Speaking of the Giants’ safety room, it endured a rough showing versus the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Nubin and Pinnock were charged with a combined 3 missed tackles in Week 8 according to PFF, but they weren’t alone. The entire NYG defense missed 16 tackles in Pittsburgh.
The rookie member of the safety pairing also struggled in run defense, earning a 51.3 grade. Not to mention a 39.6 NFL passer rating allowed despite not giving up any receptions.
Pinnock’s run defense marks were better than Nubin’s, but he allowed 29 receiving yards in pass coverage and 13 of those yards occurred after the catch.
On the season, Nubin has graded out favorably. He’s only been charged with 3 missed tackles compared to 10 key defensive stops and 39 solo tackles. His coverage numbers could still improve a bit, allowing 10 of his 11 targets for 88 receiving yards and a passer rating of 100.0.
Similarly, Pinnock has allowed 9 of his 11 targets for 113 receiving yards and a passer rating of 109.5, and he’s been the weak link of the duo so far.
Pinnock has already missed 9 tackles in 2024, compared with just 7 key defensive stops and 26 solo tackles, yielding a putrid 40.9 tackling score. His overall run defense marks are also down at a 57.4 — while Nubin’s is a 69.1.
In 2024, Pinnock’s top strength has been his contribution as a pass rusher. Through eight weeks, the veteran safety has 3.0 sacks off 5 quarterback pressures.
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Giants Part Ways With 2023 Draft Pick Following Week 8: Report