Former Giants dot the rosters of most of the teams still playing
Saquon Barkley of the Philadelphia Eagles is, of course, the former New York Giants star who will draw the most attention this weekend during the Divisional Round of the NFL playoffs. There are, though, a number of former Giants dotting the rosters of the eight teams who still have a chance to become Super Bowl champions.
Let’s go through them.
Eagles
- Wide receiver Parris Campbell caught 20 passes for the Giants in 2023 in a mostly-failed one-year experiment. He caught just six passes for 30 yards in five games for Philadelphia this season.
- Popular former Giant lineman Nick Gates played 96 offensive snaps over nine games as a backup interior lineman.
- Cornerback James Bradberry spent the entire season on injured reserve.
Detroit Lions
- Wide receiver/punt returner Kalif Raymond played in six games for the Giants in 2017, but got released without ever playing in a game early in the 2018 season. His career has taken off since 2019. He was named second-team All-Pro as a return man for Detroit both this season and in 2022. In 2024, he averaged a career-best 13.8 yards per punt return and caught 17 passes.
- Wide receiver Allen Robinson latched on with the Lions after failing to make the Giants’ roster last summer. He appeared in 12 games, but played just 91 snaps with three catches.
- Veteran guard Kevin Zeitler, let go by the Giants in a salary cap move after the 2020 season, is still a quality starter. He started all 16 games at right guard for Detroit and posted an 86.8 Pro Football Focus grade, third in the NFL among 38 qualifying guards.
- Quarterback Jake Fromm is on the practice squad.
Washington Commanders
- Wide receiver/punt returner Jamison Crowder averaged 10.1 yards per return and caught nine passes in a reserve role for Washington. Crowder was cut by the Giants at the end of training camp in 2023, a decision that led to the Eric Gray as punt returner debacle.
- Offensive tackle Bobby Hart and tight end Tyree Jackson are on Washington’s practice squad.
Los Angeles Rams
- Jack Heflin, a journeyman defensive tackle who played one game for the Giants in 2022, is on the practice squad.
Kansas City Chiefs
There are no former Giants on the Chiefs’ roster.
Houston Texans
- Offensive lineman Jaylon Thomas, who played in one game for the Giants in 2023, is on IR for the Texans.
Baltimore Ravens
- Quarterback Josh Johnson, who has played for just about every team in the league, is Lamar Jackson’s backup. That’s why I thought Daniel Jones might land with the Ravens when the Giants waived him. Johnson was with the Giants during the 2017 preseason.
Buffalo Bills
- Defensive tackle Jordan Phillips signed with the Giants in the offseason and got traded to the Dallas Cowboys during the summer. Phillips played two games, got placed on IR and was eventually released. He landed back in Buffalo, where he spent the 2022 and 2023 season, and played in seven games for the Bills. His 35.8 and 37.3 Pro Football Focus grades the past two seasons show the Giants probably weren’t wrong in moving on.
