Kölnerbigblue asks: Ed, can you remind me of the rules regarding waiver wire rules? Specifically, how long does a team have to place a claim on a player? Is it 24 hours from the player being placed on waiver or some other number?
Ed says: The waiver period lasts 24 hours during the regular season. So, if a transaction becomes official at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, a claim can be made until 5 p.m. on Wedesday. After that, a player becomes a free agent.
That is slightly different at cut down from 90 to 53 players.
This year, teams have until 4 p.m. ET on August 26 to reach the 53-man roster limit. Players waived in the cuts to 53 can be claimed until noon on August 27. After that, they are free agents who can sign with any team. That is also when teams can begin signing players to their practice squad.
Wesley Protheroe asks: The year that Jalin Hyatt won the Biletnikoff Trophy at Tennessee he lined up in the slot 87% of the time (624 of 716 snaps). He has struggled with the Giants who seem to use him almost exclusively as a wideout. Hyatt is a bigger target, has a larger catch radius, and is faster than Wan’Dale Robinson. He is also under contract for two more years while Robinson is in the last year of his contract. Shouldn’t the Giants give him some reps as a slot receiver to see what he can do in the NFL in this role?
Ed says: Wes, the Giants have been doing that throughout the summer whenever Hyatt has been available to practice. It is something Hyatt requested, and he has gotten some time there. Just like Robinson has gotten some time on the outside this summer.
I don’t know what it will translate to once the regular season starts, but the Giants have looked at Hyatt in the slot.
Adam Jacobs asks: I need someone as smart as you to help me understand something. Everywhere I turn, I read that the Giants should trade Jameis because the three QBs (Russ, Jax and TD) will be more than enough before Dart takes full control later this year/game 1 next season. Because they have Winston on a 2 year contract, doesn’t it make more sense, if the situation arises, to trade Russ? Winston will be a good QB room voice for Dart, he is very cheap as backup QBs go (2 years, $8 mil total), and have more in the tank if he needs to play. I compare his potential value to what Derek Carr was for Eli during the championship years. Russ is only on a one-year deal, so if Winston is traded, you will need to find a veteran QB next offseason all over again.
Ed says: Adam, the question of trading Jameis Winston is one that splits the fan base. It is something the Giants do not intend to do, though I would guess an overwhelming offer would make them consider it.
The fact that they signed Winston to a relatively cheap two-year deal tells you the Giants were thinking ahead to needing a backup for a young quarterback in 2026. Trading Russell Wilson is something that is not on the radar right now. Could it be if the Giants get to the trade deadline and they have already moved on to Dart? Maybe, assuming that at that point anyone would actually give the Giants something for Wilson.
Matt Peters asks: It’s a nice change of pace for the Giants to not be looking for offensive lineman during training camp. That being said, what position do you think the Giants are most in need of trying to add to as cuts are coming?
Ed says: Matt, there are three spots I think the Giants might add to if the right player or players become available. Wide receiver and cornerback, where the bottom of the depth chart is uncertain are the first two. Defensive tackle, where the Giants could still use a quality, run-stuffing nose tackle as depth behind Dexter Lawrence, is the third.
Taj Siddiqi asks: Team offense looks good and much improved and pass rush expected to be the strength of the defensive unit. But poor tackling and leaky coverage on punt and kickoff returns remain two areas of concern.
I understand that teams are not allowed contact during OTAs and training camps. Are they allowed to do tackling drills when preparing for games during the season?
Ed says: Taj, in looking at the Collective Bargaining Agreement I cannot find anything that prohibits tackling during a regular-season practice. It simply isn’t done.
The CBA allows only 14 padded practices during the course of the 18-week regular season. Following a Sunday game, players who have played significant snaps will tell you that their bodies don’t begin to feel normal until Thursday or Friday. Maybe 30 years ago coaches had players tackle in practice during the season. Not now. Everything is about recovery and having players’ bodies in peak condition on game days.
Teams work on the techniques involved in tackling, but they don’t actually tackle. The Giants under Brian Daboll don’t even tackle during padded training camp practices. They “thud,” which means they hit but do not intentionally bring a player to the ground.
A note about punt and kickoff coverage. I generally don’t worry about it during the preseason. Teams are using mostly bottom of the roster guys on special teams to find out if they can play on those units, since they will have to if they make the team. So, you have a bunch of guys out there who may not be very good at that job and who probably are not making the team.
Simon Hines asks: I work in cyber security and we give the difference teams colour identifiers. The defensive team stopping attackers are the blue team, and the offensive team trying to probe the defences are the red team. In recent years teams have begun working more closely together, sharing experiences and explaining how they were able to stop an attack or how they were able to breach the defenses. We call this “purple teaming”.
I’ve noticed more during this training camp that there’s been a lot of discussion about the defense and offense working together, and players helping their counterparts to get better. Is this kind of “NFL purple team” approach becoming more common? Is this a change from previous years? I don’t remember hearing as much in previous years about such close collaboration between the different sides.
Ed says: Simon, I think this speaks to the kind of people the Giants have. You will see Brian Burns talking to Russell Wilson during practice when the backups are taking reps. Cornerback Nic Jones has talked about helping Jaxson Dart by sharing things he sees from Dart. You can often see Wilson hovering behind the offense watching when Dart is taking practice reps.
Alex Kalb asks: Curious what impact, if any, you think DJ being named the Colts starting QB could have on Daboll’s future? I tend to think another bad season spells the end for his head coaching tenure while he might be safe for another season if he produces at least 7 or 8 wins. However, i could see his leash getting shorter if guys like Barkley, McKinney, and now possibly Jones leave the Giants only to have career years elsewhere. Do you think that factors into Mara’s thinking? Would it impact yours?
Ed says: Alex, Daniel Jones, Saquon Barkley, Xavier McKinney and any other ex-Giant you can think of have nothing to do with Brian Daboll’s future. They’re gone. Daboll’s future depends on Jaxson Dart, and on whether the team plays well enough in 2025 for the organization to bring him back.
Wayne Mirsky asks: Somebody recently told me that there was an unwritten understanding among all the GMs in the league that if a team tries to put one of their most recent day 3 draft picks on their practice squad that they will not put in a claim for that player. Do you know anything about this?
Ed says: Wayne, I have never heard that and think it’s nonsense. The NFL is a cut throat business and if Team A puts a player on the waiver wire that Team B thinks will help it, they will put in a claim. It doesn’t matter what round a guy was drafted in.
I think it’s more likely those Day 3 picks don’t get claimed because teams aren’t sure the player in question is better than what they have. When a team claims a player on waivers, they have to put him on the 53-man roster.
Doug Mollin asks: It seems that there has been no shortage of happy surprises this offseason so far: the draft went as well as we could have hoped, Dart looks exactly what we would have hoped for, Carter looks like an impact player. Even Neal played well in his first game at RG.
What is the one disappointment that stands out to you so far? Thomas’s lingering injury? Run defense? Banks’ lack of development?
Ed says: Doug, I would say I am concerned about Andrew Thomas rather than disappointed. I am disappointed, but not surprised by the fact that Deonte Banks continues to struggle to find the ball. I’ve been disappointed by Jalin Hyatt’s summer.
Jerry Hand asks: I remember Chauncey Golston playing very well against us last year… are people overlooking his acquisition?
Ed says: Jerry, I don’t think people are overlooking Golston. I think the Giants signed Golston for a specific role, and then drafted Abdul Carter to do many of the same things. Golston is a good player, but he really looks like a depth piece for the Giants. And that is not a bad thing.
Submit a question
Have a Giants-related question? E-mail it to [email protected] and it might be featured in our weekly mailbag.
0 CommentsSee More:
