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Amid a very quiet trade deadline day for the New York Giants, 2023 draft pick and recent cut Gervarrius Owens was the unexpected headliner.
Nashville Post beat reporter John Glennon listed the former safety, Owens, while announcing four Tennessee Titans signings just after the deadline. It was one of the few Giants-related moves on November 5.
Big Blue released Owens from the practice squad after Week 8, and the news was somewhat unexpected. It also seemingly closed the book on another wasted draft pick for NYG — albeit a seventh-round selection.
Owens only appeared in three regular season outings and 37 special teams snaps with the Giants as a rookie. He did not play at all in 2024 after failing to make the 53-man roster this summer.
After Owens spent most of training camp competing with promising undrafted rookie Alex Johnson — among others — it was waiver claim Anthony Johnson Jr. who snagged the fourth and final safety spot. A knee injury slowed the second-year prospect’s progress during the preseason period, causing him to miss key reps and opportunities.
Later, the organization signed 25-year-old safety Raheem Layne to the practice squad alongside Owens and Johnson. Layne has since outlasted both.
Giants Criticized for Once Again Holding Onto Assets at NFL Trade Deadline
Last year, the Giants held onto running back Saquon Barkley and safety Xavier McKinney at the 2023 NFL trade deadline. Not long after, they ended up losing both in free agency the following offseason.
Will history repeat itself in 2025?
“Giants keeping pending free agents Azeez Ojulari and Darius Slayton is reminiscent of last year, keeping Saquon Barkley and Xavier McKinney,” New York Post reporter Ryan Dunleavy reacted on X. “So, [general manager] Joe Schoen’s only 2 trade-deadline deals were things he couldn’t say no to. Getting Kadarius Toney off the roster and a 2nd-round pick for Leonard Williams (which, along with a huge contract, helped land Brian Burns).”
While it’s true that a team will sometimes receive comp picks for a free agency fallout, there’s no guarantee that will happen in 2025 as the Giants have holes to fill and the comp pick system weighs incoming signings versus outgoing departures.
By trading assets like Ojulari or Slayton, you guarantee a return.
With that in mind, The Athletic’s NFL insider Dianna Russini reported that several teams relayed that “Schoen’s asking price [for Ojulari] was high given New York’s banged up front [and] ultimately, teams chose not pay it.”
Similarly, ESPN NFL insider Jeremy Fowler informed that the Pittsburgh Steelers “took a hard look” at Slayton and elected to trade for Mike Williams instead.
Needless to say, these explanations didn’t quite jive with many around the NYG community, including The Athletic’s Dan Duggan.
“Don’t love the reasoning being reported for not trading Ojulari,” the veteran beat reporter said. “The only reason not to trade him is because they’re planning to aggressively pursue an extension.”
Giants Cut Punter, Creating 2 Open Roster Spots
Earlier in the day on November 5, the Giants surprised media and fans when they released veteran cornerback Nick McCloud — who was unwilling to take a pay cut according to Dunleavy and the New York Post.
They also cut fill-in punter Matt Haack later on, creating two open roster spots on the 53.
While it’s unclear what the Giants plan to do with these vacancies as of now, one thing is obvious. Punter Jamie Gillan should be ready to return from injury in Week 10.
As a reminder, being that Gillan was never actually placed on the injured reserve, his return will not count as a roster addition. We’ll continue to monitor any and all NYG roster moves that occur.
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