Long signed a contract with the Giants on Wednesday, Dan Salomone of the team's official site reports.
After four years with the Rams, the 2019 third-round selection spent time with the Packers, Panthers and Raiders in 2023, appearing in a total of 14 games. He'll now look to lock down a reserve role in the secondary as he heads to the Big Apple.
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Patriots' Oshane Ximines: Signs with New England
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The Patriots signed Ximines on Tuesday, Mike Reiss of ESPN.com reports.
Ximines was a third-round pick by the Giants back in 2019 but recorded just 6.5 sacks across five seasons with the team. He'll look to reboot his career in a new setting with New England.
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Giants' Darius Muasau: Big Apple bound in Round 6
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The Giants selected Muasau in the sixth round of the 2024 NFL Draft, 183rd overall.
Muasau began his college career at Hawaii before transferring to UCLA for this final two seasons. He started all 26 times during his time as a Bruin, racking up 166 tackles in those campaigns. He's undersized at just under 6-foot and 225 pounds, but he has 4.70 speed to hunt down ball carriers. Muasau projects as a depth piece behind Bobby Okereke and Micah McFadden in the middle of the Giants' linebacking corps.
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Dolphins' Cam Brown: Inks deal in Miami
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Brown agreed to a contract with the Dolphins on Wednesday, Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com reports.
Brown appeared in 60 career games with the Giants as a special-teams ace during his first four NFL seasons, tallying 24 tackles over that span. In addition to providing depth at linebacker, the 26-year-old will likely be a key part of the Dolphins' special-teams units in 2024.
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Giants' Nick McCloud: Stays in the Big Apple
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McCloud (back) re-signed with the Giants on Monday, Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston reports.
McCloud finished his 2023 campaign on the sidelines after getting injured in the team's season finale against the Eagles. Healthy now, the Notre Dame product can focus on being ready for a third campaign in New York after signing his free-agent tender.
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Packers' Gemon Green: Inks deal with Green Bay
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The Packers signed Green on Wednesday.
Undrafted out of Michigan last year, Green failed to make the Giants out of training camp last summer and has yet to appear in an NFL contest. He'll look to make an impression on the Green Bay coaching staff this spring.
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Giants' Isaiah Simmons: Stays with New York
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The Giants re-signed Simmons to a one-year contract Friday, Dan Salomone of the team's official site reports.
In his first year with the team, Simmons recorded 50 tackles, including a sack, and an interception that he returned for a touchdown in 17 regular-season games. Now that he's been re-signed, the 2020 first-rounder -- who arrived in New York via a trade with Arizona last August -- will reprise his versatile role in the Giants defense, where his ability to play either safety or linebacker is an asset to the unit.
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Giants' Dexter Lawrence: Clears cap space with restructure
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Lawrence agreed Thursday to restructure his contract with the Giants, creating $7.5 million in cap space for the team, Darryl Slater of NJ.com reports.
New York converted $10 million of Lawrence's base salary into a signing bonus, and pushed $7.5 million of that total into future years to create extra cap space. Last season Lawrence earned second-team All-Pro honors after notching 53 tackles and 4.5 sacks. He's entering the second season of a four-year, $87.5 million contract extension inked last May.
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Vikings' Jihad Ward: Finds new home
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Ward signed a contract with the Vikings on Wednesday, Ben Goessling of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.
Ward has spent the last two seasons with the Giants, including recording a career-high 5.0 sacks last season in 17 games. The veteran can play outside linebacker, as well as on the edge, and could bolster Minnesota's pass rush in 2024.
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Giants' Darnay Holmes: Returns to New York
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Holmes re-signed with the Giants on Wednesday, Dan Salomone of the team's official site reports.
Holmes became primarily a special-teams contributor in 2023, seeing only 115 snaps on defense in 16 regular-season games. Despite the limited work on defense, the UCLA product still recorded two interceptions on the season. He'll now have the opportunity to carve out a bigger role in New York again in 2024.
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Panthers' A'Shawn Robinson: Signing with Carolina
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The Panthers and Robinson have agreed to terms on a three-year, $22.5 million contract, Mike Garafolo of NFL Network reports.
Turning 29 later this month, Robinson is coming off a one-year stint with the Giants in which he appeared in all 17 games, finishing with 62 tackles (34 solo) and two pass deflections while playing 46 percent of the team's defensive snaps. In Carolina, Robinson reunites with DC Ejiro Evero after both were with the Rams when they won the Super Bowl in 2021. Robinson will team up with Derrick Brown on the Panthers' defensive line.
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Packers' Xavier McKinney: Strikes it big with Pack
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The Packers and McKinney agreed to terms on a four-year, $68 million contract Monday, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.
McKinney is coming off a career-best 116 tackles with the Giants in 2023, supplementing that total with three interceptions, two fumble recoveries, one forced fumble and 0.5 sacks in 17 contests. With Darnell Savage moving on to the Jaguars earlier Monday, safety was among the top needs for the Packers this offseason, and McKinney will slot in as the team's new starting free safety.
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Giants' Xavier McKinney: Will become free agent
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McKinney will not receive the transition tag from the Giants and will become a free agent at the start of the new league year, March 13, Mike Garafolo of NFL Network reports.
McKinney's time in New York appears to be over after spending the first four seasons of his career with the squad, which selected him in the second round of the 2020 Draft. The Alabama product appeared in all 17 games last season, recording 116 tackles (78 solo), 11 passes defended and three interceptions. McKinney will likely be one of the most sought-after safeties on the market when free agency opens.
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Giants' Darnay Holmes: Reverts to special-teams role
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Holmes played in 16 contests during the regular season, recording 18 tackles (17 solo) and two interceptions.
Holmes' 16 games were a career high, but his 115 defensive snaps were by far the fewest he has logged in his four NFL seasons. The UCLA product at least made the most of his limited defensive work with a career-best two pickoffs, and he played well as a special-teamer. Holmes is set to be a free agent for the first time, and the reduction of his work in the secondary may have been an indication of New York's intent to move on from him.
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Giants' Azeez Ojulari: Another injury-plagued campaign
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Ojulari totaled 16 tackles (nine solo), including 2.5 sacks, over 11 contests during the 2023 season.
Separate hamstring and ankle injuries caused Ojulari to miss six games early in the season, and he's suited up in just 18 of a possible 34 regular-season contests over the past two campaigns. After logging a promising 8.0 sacks as a rookie in 2021, the Georgia product tallied a career-low 2.5 sacks in 2023, with two of those coming in the relatively meaningless regular-season finale against Philadelphia. Ojulari has shown considerable pass-rush talent when able to suit up, but his ability to stay healthy will be key as he looks to have a bounce-back year in the final season of his rookie contract in 2024.
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Giants' Jihad Ward: Tallies career-high sack total
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Ward finished the 2023 campaign with 24 tackles (16 solo), including 5.0 sacks, over 17 contests.
For the third straight year, Ward played in every regular-season game, and he logged 59 percent of New York's defensive snaps over the course of the campaign. The veteran outside linebacker didn't notch a sack over the season's first 10 contests but came on strong to rack up 5.0 sacks over the Giants' final seven games to finish with a career-high mark in that category. Ward is slated to be a free agent in the offseason, and with New York lacking other pass-rushing options (only Kayvon Thibodeaux had more for the team than Ward last year), there's a chance the late-season surge could convince the organization to bring him back if the price is reasonable.
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Giants' Rakeem Nunez-Roches: Posts 26 stops over 16 games
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Nunez-Roches recorded 26 tackles (14 solo), including a half-sack, over 16 contests during the 2023 campaign.
Nunez-Roches was brought in during the offseason to serve as veteran depth along New York's defensive line. He filled that role as expected, notching the second-highest tackle total of his nine-year career while missing just one game. Durability has been a strength of Nunez-Roches' -- he's missed just two regular-season contests over the past five campaigns -- but he's not much of a pass-rusher and isn't looked to as a difference-maker on defense. His contract goes through 2025, and it's likely he'll be back with the Giants as a rotational run-stopper next year.
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Giants' Dane Belton: Nabs two pickoffs in second season
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Belton played in all 17 games in the 2023 campaign, totaling 33 tackles (22 solo), including a sack, along with two interceptions.
Belton's role fluctuated throughout the season, and he saw most of his work on special teams until Jason Pinnock's toe injury early in Week 17 allowed room for Belton to get an extended opportunity at the end of the campaign. The 2022 fourth-round pick shined with a pair of interceptions after Pinnock left that Week 17 game against the Rams, but the overall sample size over the course of the season was likely too small for New York to develop a definitive perspective of Belton's ability to move up to a larger full-time role. There may be a hole for the Giants to fill at safety if Xavier McKinney leaves in free agency, though in that scenario they may look outside the organization for a replacement.
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Giants' Tre Hawkins: Has inconsistent role as rookie
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Hawkins recorded 35 tackles (24 solo) and one defensed pass over 17 contests in 2023.
After the Giants took him in the sixth round of the 2023 draft, Hawkins made a good impression in training camp and began the campaign as the team's slot corner. However, he struggled through three games and was then replaced by sophomore Cor'Dale Flott. Hawkins got a few more opportunities to show off his skills during the campaign, including in Week 7 and Week 11 with Adoree' Jackson out of commission, but he ended the season getting no defensive snaps in four of New York's final six games. The Old Dominion product will likely get a chance to continue to grow next year, but he'd have to take a step forward to move beyond a depth role.
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Giants' Cor'Dale Flott: Gets larger role in second season
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Flott tallied 36 tackles (25 solo) and five defensed passes, including one interception, over 14 games in 2023.
Flott missed the first three games of the campaign due primarily to a hamstring injury, but he took over as the Giants' slot corner in Week 4 and logged at least half of the team's defensive snaps in all but three weeks thereafter. The 2022 third-round draft pick performed competently in the role and recorded his first career pickoff in Week 10 against Dallas. Flott has two years remaining on his rookie deal and figures to enter next season slated for a workload similar to that which he was given in 2023.
