Basham has been a healthy scratch most of the season
The New York Giants waive edge defender Carlos “Boogie” Basham on Tuesday, according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler. New York acquired Basham from the Bills in late August 2023 for a 2025 late-round pick swap. Basham played 194 snaps last season and just 16 snaps, all in Week 6 against the Bengals this year.
Basham had zero pressures across 95 pass-rushing snaps as a Giant. GM Joe Schoen was on the Bills’ staff who drafted Basham out of Wake Forest in the second round of the 2021 NFL Draft. Despite the injury to Kayvon Thibodeaux, Basham is now available to sign with any team or possibly even the Giants’ practice squad.
To fill the roster spot vacated by waiving Watts, the Giants signed veteran defensive tackle Armon Watts from their practice squad to the 53-man roster.
Watts, 6-foot-5, 307 pounds, is in his sixth NFL season. He was added to the practice squad last week.
After watching Saquon Barkley run for 176 yards and the Philadelphia Eagles run for 269 yards as a team in Sunday’s 28-3 victory, this move is likely designed to bolster the run defense. The Giants are last in the league in yards per rushing attempt allowed at 5.4, and 25th in rushing yards allowed per game at 138.1.
Watts played three seasons with the Minnesota Vikings, where current Giants defensive line coach Andre Patterson was his position coach.
The writing was on the wall for Basham’s departure, albeit cursive…and written in Latin…but the writing was still there. Basham received the first shot as the third pass-rusher behind Brian Burns and Azeez Ojulari after Thibodeaux was placed on Injured Reserve with a wrist injury. He played 16 snaps against the Bengals and was inactive the following week.
Basham has zero special teams value and has not played a special teams snap this season. New York opted to promote Tomon Fox from the practice squad and continue using Patrick Johnson at edge — both play special teams.
Fox entered the game and played well in the fourth quarter, earning two pressures and a sack in 21 snaps. Johnson played 13 snaps but wasn’t nearly as impactful as Fox. Still, Fox is a more valuable — younger — player than Boogie Basham, who spent much of the season as a healthy scratch.
Unsurprisingly, the Giants parted ways with the former Buffalo Bills’ pass rusher. He never found a role with Wink Martindale or Shane Bowen. However, the edge position is precarious with Thibodeaux out and Burns dealing with a groin injury.
Both Johnson and Fox — should the latter earn a roster spot upon Basham’s departure — could earn first-team reps in practice opposite Ojulari if Burns continues to be a non-participant. Basham’s departure could also provide space for offensive tackle D.J. Humphries, who the Giants worked out on Tuesday.
Either way, he could return to the Giants on the practice squad if inclined, although his interests would likely be best served in another uniform.
