Getty The Giants traded impressive kicker Ryan Santoso to the Panthers for a conditional 2022 seventh-round draft pick.
The New York Giants have gone from having two impressive kickers on their roster, to just one, after trading away Ryan Santoso to the Carolina Panthers in exchange for a 2022 conditional seventh-round draft pick, per Tom Rock of Newsday.
Santoso had a strong showing throughout training camp and the Giants’ first two preseason contests, but with Graham Gano already on the roster, New York didn’t have room to keep both of them.
Instead, Santoso became an obvious trade candidate with several other teams around the league lacking stability at the kicker position. Santoso spent 2020 on the Giants’ practice squad, and the team brought him back in order for him to showcase his talent, as one of the more capable kickers in the NFL.
And that is exactly what he showed this summer. Although Santoso did not have a field goal attempt in the Giants’ 17-13 loss to the Browns on Sunday, he was 1-fo-1 on extra point attempts, and launched all three of his kickoffs into the back of the end zone for touchbacks.
Following the game, head coach Joe Judge could not say enough about Santoso’s ability, and admitted that he would be their starter if they did not already give Graham Gano a three-year contract extension.
“We wanted to get Santoso some kicks,’’ Judge told reporters on Sunday. “This guy has had a tremendous camp for us, we wanted to make sure we rewarded him and got him out there to have some kicks. We’re happy to have Graham, he’s a phenomenal kicker. If we didn’t have Graham, this guy would be our kicker. I have a lot of faith in him.’’
Now, both the Giants and Santoso got their wish. New York received a draft pick for him before final roster cut downs, and Santoso will get a well-deserved opportunity with the Panthers, as kicker Joe Slye has struggled this summer.
CB Depth Takes Another Hit
Just one day after Adoree Jackson suffered a mild ankle sprain, rookie cornerback Rodarius Williams limped off the practice field on Thursday with the training staff.
Although Jackson is expected to be ready by Week 1, the Giants are razor thin at the cornerback position at the moment, as the newly acquired Josh Jackson is also dealing with an injury as well.
The Giants were forced to stick wide receiver Matt Cole at corner against the Browns last week, and it appears as though they will have to do it again in their preseason finale with the Patriots on Sunday.
With Williams, Madre Harper, and Adoree and Josh Jackson all nursing injuries, the Giants’ only healthy corners are James Bradberry, Julian Love, Darnay Holmes and Keion Crossen.
Barkley Ramping up
Although Saquon Barkley is still wearing a red non-contact jersey in practice, he did participate in 7-on-7 drills against the Patriots on Thursday.
For Barkley, this was the first live action he had endured since suffering a torn ACL last season. And according to the tailback, he felt good and was not thinking about his knee during this period.
Barkley received a total of eight live reps and caught three passes, including a touchdown on the second play of the sequence.
While Barkley won’t be able to play in the preseason finale this week without going through live contact in practice, he is progressing well, which is makes his availability for Week 1 of the regular season look more realistic.
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