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Former Bills wide receiver Cole Beasley signed with the New York Giants this offseason, joining the mass exodus of former Bills players flocking to the Meadowlands.
However, his reunion with Giants head coach Brian Daboll, the Bills’ former offensive coordinator, was short-lived. After Beasley was designated to return from injured reserve on October 10 but did not get to play in the Giants’ October 15 game, the veteran wanted out.
NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo broke the news on Friday, October 20, posting on X, formerly known as Twitter, “The #Giants and WR Cole Beasley are mutually parting ways today, sources say. Beasley asked for his release off the practice squad and it was granted.”
Daboll kept things vague when addressing Beasley’s sudden exit ahead of practice on Friday. “I have a lot of respect for Cole,” he said, according to The New York Post’s Ryan Dunleavy. “Just decided that both parties had a good conversation and he won’t be on the practice squad.”
As for what transpired during the chat, “I’ll keep our private conversations private,” Daboll said.
The 34-year-old appeared ready to give the Giants his all.
“I already know the offense and I know what [Daboll] is about, and I know what the culture is about,” he told The Buffalo News in August. “I knew I would have a good time playing football here.”
Something obviously changed since he made those comments. Dunleavy wrote, “There was no path to the field for Beasley given that the Giants already have de-emphasized the roles of veterans Isaiah Hodgins, Sterling Shepard and Parris Campbell in favor of developing rookie Jalin Hyatt and second-year pro Wan’Dale Robinson alongside Darius Slayton.”
However, the timing of Beasley’s release definitely raised some eyebrows. “It is interesting that Beasley asked out when times are toughest for Daboll,” Dunleavy wrote, “The two built a close relationship over three seasons together with the Bills – each of which resulted in more than 100 targets for Beasley, who has 556 career catches and 34 touchdowns.”
Cole Beasley’s Release Was Not Injury-Related; He Still Wants to Play
Beasley’s immediate release wasn’t due to an injury, Daboll said. “He’s healthy,” he said.
Beasley missed nearly two weeks during the preseason dealing with a quad injury, but The Athletic’s Dan Duggan posted on August 27 that the veteran was “close to 100%.”
While there was strong hype that Beasley could make the Giants’ active roster, he was ultimately released and re-signed to the practice squad. The Giants placed Beasley on injured reserve on September 4 with an undisclosed injury, per Pro Football Talk, but his designation last week indicated that he was fine.
As it stands, Beasley is a free agent. Beasley briefly retired last season before re-signing with the Bills, but he is not ready to hang up his cleats.
ESPN’s Jordan Ranaan posted, “Beasley asked for his release from #Giants primarily b/c there wasn’t an opportunity to active roster in sight, per sources. The vet WR has been game-ready for several weeks but currently on the practice squad. He’s fully healthy, practicing well and still intends to play.”
Cole Beasley Return to the Bills Remains Highly Unlikely
While much of Bills Mafia would love to get the controversial receiver back, if Beasley couldn’t crack the 53-man roster with the Giants, it’s hard to imagine him doing so in Buffalo. While the Bills offense has struggled over the past two weeks, and could maybe use the veteran to help bring the new guys up to speed, Beasley is looking to play football, not coach.
Beasley told The Buffalo News in January that he’d “definitely” return for another season with the Bills should he receive an offer, but that didn’t happen.
“They had moved on. I kind of figured that when they drafted [Dalton] Kincaid,” he said. “I talked to [Bills general manager Brandon] Beane once, but it wasn’t about coming back, just [telling me] to let him know if I needed anything.”
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