Giants Add 2 Quarterbacks, 3 Defensive Backs to Active Roster

Getty Joe Webb, formerly of the Buffalo Bills.

The New York Giants will be short-handed in both the secondary and at quarterback when they take the field Sunday night against the Cleveland Browns. In an effort to help counteract their numerous losses, the team has added three defensive backs and two signal-callers to the active roster.

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Giants Add 2 QBs With Daniel Jones Reportedly Out vs. CLE

Offensively, Clayton Thorson has been elevated from the practice squad as a COVID-19 replacement for cornerback James Bradberry, who landed on the Reserve/COVID-19 list on Thursday. This marks the second time in three weeks that Thorson has found himself on the team’s active roster. The former fifth-round pick out of Northwestern served as the team’s No. 2 quarterback behind Colt McCoy during New York’s Week 13 victory over the Seattle Seahawks.

Veteran journeyman Joe Webb will also join Thorson on the active roster for Sunday night. Webb, who was brought in prior to last week’s loss to the Arizona Cardinals, has been signed off of the practice squad. A versatile talent, the 34-year-old quarterback has also contributed as a wide receiver and a special teams ace during his 11-year pro career.

These two moves come on the heels of reports that starter Daniel Jones will miss the Browns game with hamstring and ankle ailments. Veteran backup Colt McCoy is expected to once again man the gig under center in Jones’ absence.

Giants Add 3 DBs, Waive Montre Hartage

As we touched on above, Jones isn’t the only key player the Giants will be without come game time. James Bradberry, who is tied for the NFL lead in passes defended (17), will miss Sunday night’s game after being deemed a “high-risk close contact” of an individual who has tested positive for COVID-19. According to Giants.com’s Michael Eisen, the earliest Bradberry can return to the team is Monday.

On top of losing Bradberry, rookie nickelback Darnay Holmes will miss his second consecutive game with a knee injury. Fellow cornerback Madre Harper was recently placed on injured reserve, while Brandon Williams, a special teams contributor, was released earlier this week. In order to free up roster space for the new additions, the team waived defensive back Montre Hartage on Saturday.

Needing reinforcements, the team has activated safety Adrian Colbert off IR and added cornerbacks Jarren Williams and Quincy Wilson as standard practice squad elevations.

Colbert hasn’t appeared in a game since mid-October due to a lingering shoulder injury. With that said, prior to his injury, Colbert had worked his way into the team’s starting lineup, logging back-to-back starts and 93 total defensive snaps from Week 4-5.

Colbert’s return opens the door for the Giants to be creative in replacing the likes of Bradberry and Holmes. Don’t be surprised to see Logan Ryan and Julian Love, both former cornerbacks, help fill the void at the position. Also, rookie Xavier McKinney, fresh off a career-high 38 snaps, will likely once again play the majority of his snaps out of the slot.