Getty The Giants have signed Brian Lewerke to a reserve/futures contract, along with seven other players.
With another disappointing season coming to a close, the New York Giants got an early head start on locking down some of their young players, who spent time with the team during the 2021 campaign.
On Monday, January 10, the Giants signed a total of eight players to reserve/futures contracts. Among these names included: quarterback Brian Lewerke, linebacker Trent Harris, linebacker Omari Cobb, offensive tackle Devery Hamilton, tight end Jake Hausmann, defensive tackle David Moa, edge rusher Niko Lalos and wide receiver Travis Toivonen.
Giants have signed 8 players to reserve/futures contracts:
QB Brian Lewerke
LB Trent Harris
LB Omari Cobb
OT Devery Hamilton
TE Jake Hausmann
DT David Moa
DE/OLB Niko Lalos
WR Travis Toivonen
All have spent time with Giants this past year on PS or active roster.
While very few players in this group have made a significant impact in a regular season game, with the exception of Lalos, the Giants saw enough promise to keep them around after each individual spent time on their practice squad or active roster last season.
At the very least, the Giants are holding onto a number of players who could be candidates to land on their practice squad again in 2022.
The latest Giants news straight to your inbox! Subscribe to the Heavy on Giants newsletter here!
Sign up for the Heavy on Giants Newsletter!
Lewerke Stays On
After both Daniel Jones and Mike Glennon suffered season-ending injuries, Lewerke found himself as the second-string quarterback behind Jake Fromm in the Giants’ regular season finale against the Washington Football Team on January 9.
Now, the Giants are keeping him around on a reserve/futures contract.
Lewerke, 25, went undrafted in 2020 out of Michigan State University. After signing with the New England Patriots following the draft, Lewerke was waived before the start of training camp, but was brought back four days later. However, Lewerke would be cut again in September of 2020 prior to the beginning of the regular season.
Lewerke spent time in the Developmental Spring League before joining the Giants last summer during training camp. Although Lewerke was waived as part of final roster cut downs, he was later signed to the Giants’ practice squad, where he remained for the entire season until his promotion to the active roster in Week 18.
Lewerke has yet to debut in a regular season game, but went 11-for-19 with 108 yards passing, one touchdown and one interception in the Giants’ exhibition matchup with the Cleveland Browns on August 22, 2021.
Judge’s Fate Unresolved
Although head coach Joe Judge survived Black Monday without being fired, he met with Giants’ ownership in the afternoon to discuss his long-term plan.
However, after speaking with players and coaches in the locker room earlier in the morning to discuss the future, Judge’s chance of returning for a third season is still not set in stone.
According to NFL Network Insider Mike Garafolo, meetings between Judge and ownership will continue over a multi-day process. And another key factor in the Giants’ upcoming decision depends on the GM search following Gettleman’s retirement.
From @NFLTotalAccess: No resolution on #Giants coach Joe Judge coming tonight. It’ll be a multi-day process with meetings between him and ownership regarding the direction of the team.
As Garafolo went on to report, Judge’s plan for the future, along with his aligned vision with a new GM will ultimately decide his fate.
Since taking over at the helm, Judge has gone a dismal 10-23 across two seasons. The Giants finished the 2021 campaign on a six-game losing streak, which saw their record drop to 4-13.