Getty Giants waive RB Javon Leake, add 2 CBs
The Javon Leake hype is no more. A week after the New York Giants coaching staff heaped praise on the undrafted free agent out of Maryland, the team cut ties with the running back on Saturday.
Leake’s release comes on the heels of the Giants signing former top-recruit, running back Tavien Feaster on Thursday and Wayne Gallman’s dominating Blue-White scrimmage performance on Friday (more on this later).
Christian Angulo, a 23-year-old defensive back who played his college ball at Hampton, was also waived.
Giants Add 2 Cornerbacks
With the two added roster spots, the Giants chose to address arguably their biggest need on the team, officially signing cornerbacks Brandon Williams and KeiVarae Russell.
Williams, a third-round pick of the Arizona Cardinals in the 2016 NFL Draft, appeared in 45 career games (three starts) during his time in the desert from 2016 through 2019. He missed the entirety of the 2019 season with a shoulder injury. Over his four year career, the former Texas A&M running back-turned-cornerback has compiled 38 total tackles and five passes defended.
Like Williams, Russell is also a former third-round selection who didn’t appear in a single regular-season game this past year. The 26-year-old cornerback worked out with the Giants on Thursday after spending the latter months of 2019 as a member of the Los Angeles Chargers’ practice squad. Russell began his NFL career with the Kansas City Chiefs, but was waived during final roster cuts, making him the highest-drafted rookie in the class of 2016 to fail to make his team’s opening day roster.
Russell enjoyed the most success of his NFL career during his next step. The cornerback spent three seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals from 2016 through 2018. Over that span, Russell appeared in 20 games (one start), registering 22 total tackles, two passes defended and one interception.
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Wayne Gallman’s Meteoric Rise Back to Prominence
Wayne Gallman’s brilliant performance in the Giants’ scrimmage on Friday night likely played a heavy hand in allowing New York to view Leake as expendable, despite his dynamic abilities.
Gallman, a player who appeared to be hanging on to a roster spot by a thread just a few weeks ago, torched the defense to the tune of two touchdowns, including a 43-yard scamper. His play earned him a placement on Giants.com Dan Salomone’s Scrimmage Standouts and praise from his head coach, Joe Judge.
“Gallman opened the scoring with a 43-yard touchdown run in the first quarter, but his night didn’t end there,” Salomone stated. “He sliced through the defense a few times in the second half before catching a 5-yard touchdown pass from Cooper Rush on the opening drive of the third quarter.”
“He’s a guy who’s really flashed over the course of the entire training camp. He’s a guy that we’ve challenged and told him we want to see how he responds in competitive situations.” Judge said. “Obviously tonight, he had a good night. But he’s a guy that’s shown a lot of potential throughout his career. He’s shown a lot of improvement for us, and we’re happy with the night he had tonight.”
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