New Giants safety Adrian Colbert #36 and Ryan Lewis #24 of the Miami Dolphins break up a pass intended for Robby Anderson #11 of the New York Jets
Cut day was less than 24-hours ago, but it appears at least one player on the New York Giants‘ initial 53-man roster is headed for the door, as Big Blue has decided to mix things up a bit.
The Giants claimed offensive tackle Jackson Barton, wide receiver Damion Ratley and safety Adrian Colbert off of waivers on Sunday, per ESPN’s Jordan Raanan.
As Raanan notes, the Giants are likely to send linebacker David Mayo and safety Xavier McKinney to the IR, in return putting New York’s roster count at 54, one over the league maximum, meaning one Giants player will soon be looking for employment elsewhere.
Colbert Has History With Giants Staff
Of the trio claimed off of waivers, safety Adrian Colbert, is by far the most intriguing of the group. Once perceived as one of the league’s top up-and-coming players at his position, Colbert has seen his play falter slightly in recent years, but still present sizeable upside.
As a seventh-round pick out of Miami, Colbert enjoyed a stellar rookie campaign with the San Francisco 49ers, finishing 2017 as Pro Football Focus’ sixth-ranked rookie safety (77.6). Colbert collected 32 total tackles, two forced fumbles, one fumble recovery and five passes defended on the year.
He entered the following season as the team’s starter at free safety only to have his sophomore campaign cut short after just seven games due to a high ankle sprain that landed him on the IR.
After being waived with an injury settlement at the start of 2019, Colbert spent a short stint on the Seattle Seahawks’ practice squad before being signed to the Miami Dolphins’ active roster in late November.
Colbert would go on to appear six games (five starts) with the ‘Phins under the watchful eye of then-Dolphins defensive coordinator, now-Giants defensive coordinator, Patrick Graham.
The safety has accumulated 80 tackles and eight passes defended over his three-year career. Yet, he is still waiting to get his first NFL interception.
What are the Giants Getting in Ratley & Barton?
Damion Ratley, who checks in at 6-foot-2-inches and 200-pounds, was a sixth-round draft pick for the Cleveland Browns in the 2018 draft class. Over his two year tenure in Ohio, Ratley appeared in 26 games (six starts) hauling in 25 receptions for 344 yards and one touchdown.
Ratley missed a hefty chunk of Cleveland’s training camp this summer, as he was dealing with a groin issue.
Offensive tackle Jackson Barton was a seventh-round selection of the Indianapolis Colts in last year’s NFL Draft, but failed to make the team’s opening day roster. The Kansas City Chiefs eventually came in and swooped Barton off of Indy’s practice squad in November, where he would go on to capture a Lombardi Trophy.
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