Getty Ex-Giants WR Damion Ratley.
If Damion Ratley was having a difficult time sleeping after his Week 5 blunder that cost his team six points, chances are the New York Giants wideout, ex-wideout that is, will only worsen with insomnia after Big Blue’s latest roster move.
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Giants Waive Damion Ratley
The Giants decided to waive Ratley on Monday, just one day after a costly, yet questionable, pass interference penalty negated a Darius Slayton touchdown against the Cowboys. New York would go on to lose the game by just three points.
Ratley was notably added to the roster a day after final roster cuts after the G-Men surprisingly cut bait with former first-round wide receiver Corey Coleman. Head coach Joe Judge indirectly pointed to the reasoning behind the swap as a way to improve the position group’s overall speed. This, despite the fact that Coleman’s 4.37 40-yard dash time at Baylor’s Pro Day in 2016 was 0.08 seconds faster than Ratley’s timed forty at Texas A&M’s Pro Day two years ago.
The hope in New York was that with starter Sterling Shepard landing on injured reserve, Ratley would be able to pick up some of the slack in Big Blue’s passing game. That sentiment failed to materialize. Despite logging the third-most snaps by a Giants wideout this year, Ratley logged just four receptions for 63 yards on 10 targets through five weeks of play.
While Ratley failed to step up to the plate, maybe his replacement will bode better.
Giants Re-Sign Austin Mack to Active Roster
To fill the void left behind by Ratley on the roster, the Giants signed tantalizing UDFA rookie, Austin Mack, off their practice squad and to their active roster.
This isn’t the first time Mack has sniffed the active roster, let’s just hope that this time is far more elongated than his previous stint on Big Blue’s 53.
The former Ohio State University standout was originally promoted to New York’s active roster on October 3rd. The move came just one day prior to New York’s Week 4 bout against the Los Angeles Rams, a move that led many to believe Mack would make his NFL debut. However, the Giants clearly had different plans.
New York made Mack a healthy-scratch in their eventual 17-9 loss to the Rams. One day later, Mack was removed from the team’s active roster, returning to the Giants’ practice squad.
While not confirmed, there was some chatter that the reasoning behind the move was simply a ploy to avoid losing Mack to another team that may have been sniffing around at the idea of adding the big-bodied wide receiver to their active roster.
Either way, none of that matters now, as it appears Mack will finally get the chance to strut his stuff. The loss of Ratley strips 126 offensive snaps from the Giants’ receiving corps.