Around the NFL: Former Giants Who Lost Their Roster Spots
NFL rosters were finalized on Saturday, and hundreds of NFL players were cut from their respective teams.
Giants brass had to make the tough decisions to trim its roster down to 53, while other NFL teams cut a handful of former Giants.
QB Kyle Lauletta
Quarterback Kyle Lauletta was signed by the Atlanta Falcons on September 2 but didn't get the opportunity to make an impression on the coaches before final roster cuts as he was waived on Saturday.
Lauletta was drafted by the Giants in the fourth round in 2018 out of Richmond with the pick acquired from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in exchange for defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul.
Lauletta only spent one season with the Giants. His tenure in New York was rocky as he was arrested in October of 2018 due to alleged charges of reckless driving, eluding police, and resisting arrest.
Lauletta spent last season on the Philadelphia Eagles' practice squad. He was waived this year on August 17, and had a workout with the Jets two days later but did not get a contract. Hie spent just three days with the Falcons before being cut on Saturday, though he could be a practice squad candidate.
CB Donte Deayon
Cornerback Donte Deayon was one of the Los Angeles Rams' surprising waivers on Saturday.
Deayon, an undrafted free agent out of Boise State in 2016, spent his first three seasons with the Giants, for who he went back and forth from the practice squad to the active roster.
Deayon, a fan favorite during his time in blue, played in four games for the Giants, racking up 19 tackles with three passes defended and a fumble recovery.
The Giants waived Deayon in October of 2018, and he was signed to the Rams' practice squad that December. The Rams kept Deayone for the 2019 season, as he started the season on the practice squad, but was promoted to the active roster in November and played in three games for the Rams.
DE Mario Edwards
Defensive end Mario Edwards was released by the New Orleans Saints after the team reportedly tried to trade him according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport.
Edwards was a second-round pick by the Oakland Raiders in 2015. He spent one season with the Giants in 2018 when he was claimed off waivers that September.
Edwards played in 15 games, racking up 14 tackles, two sacks, five total quarterback hits one forced fumble in his one-year stint with the Giants in 2018.
Edwards signed a two-year contract with the Saints back in March of 2019 but did not do enough in camp to warrant a roster spot in 2020.
C Brett Jones
The Vikings cut center Brett Jones after two seasons in Minnesota.
A native of Weyburn, Saskatchewan, Jones started his football career with the CFL Calgary Stampeders in 2013. Jones quickly became one of the CFL's best centers, as he earned the CFL's Most Outstanding Offensive Lineman Award in his second season in 2014.
The Giants signed Jones in 2015 to be a backup center to starter Weston Richburg, but Jones' first NFL season came to an end on September 5 of that year when he was placed on injured reserve.
Jones started 13 games for the Giants in 2017 at both center and guard due to injuries along the offensive line.
The Giants traded Jones to the Vikings in August of 2018. Jones started the Vikings' first three games of the season, but was benched and only appeared in two games in 2019 before landing on injured reserve in October.
QB Davis Webb
Quarterback Davis Webb was waived by the Buffalo Bills on Saturday but is expected to re-sign to the team's practice squad per reports.
Webb was drafted by the Giants in the third round out of California in 2017 but has yet to find an NFL team to call home.
The Giants waived Webb in September of 2018, just one year after drafting him. Webb then spent most of the 2018 season on the Jets practice squad but was promoted to the active roster on November 10 to back up Josh McCown after Sam Darnold went down with an injury.
Webb then spent 2019 on Buffalo's practice squad, where he is expected to start the 2020 season.
DL Freedom Akinmoladun
The Cincinnati Bengals waived defensive end Freedom Akinmoladun on Saturday.
Akinmoladun was signed by the Giants as an undrafted free agent out of Nebraska in 2019. Akinmoladun did not make the Giants' roster but found a spot on the Cincinnati Bengals' practice squad and was promoted to Cincinnati's active roster in the final three games of the season.
TE Jerrell Adams
Tight end Jerrell Adams was waived by the Baltimore Ravens on Saturday, just two days after signing with the team.
Adams was selected by the Giants in the sixth round in 2016 and played in 29 games with three starts in two seasons in New York. Adams hauled in 24 receptions for 214 yards and one touchdown from 2016-17.
After the Giants waived Adams in September of 2018, he spent just about all of 2018-19 on the Houston Texans' practice squad, playing in only one game in Houston's 2019 season opener against the Saints. Houston released Adams in December.
