The Giants today signed three rookie free agents who attended the team's minicamp last week on a tryout basis: wide receiver Brandon Collins of Southeast Louisiana, linebacker Jake Muasau of Georgia State and safety Will Hill of Florida.
The team also announced that safety Chad Jones has been waived/failed physical.
Jones, the Giants' third-round draft choice in 2010, was seriously injured in an auto accident two months after being drafted and has yet to play an NFL game. He reported to the team's offseason conditioning program last month to continue his rehabilitation program but is not cleared to participate in football activities.
"We consider Chad to be part of the Giants family, and we'll continue to work with him in his rehab," general manager Jerry Reese said. "As we've said since his accident, we're thankful he is alive and able to lead a normal life."
Jones suffered multiple fractures and nerve damage in his lower left leg in the accident in New Orleans on June 25, 2010. He underwent several hours of surgery and has spent the past two years in an arduous rehabilitation regimen. Jones spent the last two seasons on the reserve/non-football injury.
"Chad had a severe injury to his left leg, involving a complex tibial fracture with associated injury to muscle, nerves, and vascular structures," said Dr. Scott Rodeo, a Giants associate team physician. "This type of injury is often limb threatening, and can sometimes require amputation. He has made a remarkable recovery to date, with successful salvage of the leg. However, at this time he has residual sensory loss, muscle weakness, and tenuous soft tissue coverage in the involved lower leg. The resultant functional impairment precludes his ability to perform physically at the level required for professional football."
"We would like to thank the Giants organization for the manner in which they have supported Chad since his unfortunate accident two years ago," said Jones' agent Rocky Arceneaux. "Their genuine support and caring has far exceeded their obligations and he and his family will be eternally grateful. Chad is experiencing a minor setback and we expect a full recovery within a few months. He thanks everyone for their continued support and prayers. He will see his teammates on the field soon."
The three players signed today impressed the coaching and player personnel staffs with their performance in the rookie minicamp.
Collins, 5-11 and 176 pounds, played two seasons at the University of Texas before transferring to Southeastern Louisiana. In 2011, he caught 61 passes for 746 yards and five touchdowns. Collins scored twice against Savannah State on Sept. 10 and had season-high totals of 11 catches for 140 yards vs. Central Arkansas on Oct. 29. In his first season at Southeast Louisiana in 2010, Collins played in all 11 games with eight starts and was second on the team with 56 catches for a team-high 875 yards (15.6-yard avg.) and four touchdowns. He also returned 13 punts for 88 yards. Collins was academically ineligible for the 2009 season. As a sophomore at Texas, Collins played in 12 games with three starts and caught 35 passes for 430 yards and three touchdowns. Collins played in seven games as a freshman in 2007 and had two special teams tackles. He was an all-state wide receiver and safety at Brenham High School in Texas. He was born April 21, 1989.
Muasau, 6-1 and 245 pounds, was voted by his teammates as Georgia State's Most Valuable Defensive Player in 2010 and 2011. An outside linebacker, Muasau is the school's career leader in tackles for loss (16.5) and interceptions (3) and he had 106 career tackles, seven sacks, four fumble recoveries and four forced fumbles. In 10 games in 2011, he collected 56 tackles (39 solo), eight tackles for losses, three sacks, two interceptions and a fumble recovery. He had a career-high 10 tackles against Texas-San Antonio. Muasau played two seasons at Phoenix College but was injured much of the 2009 season. He played wide receiver and defensive back at Buena High School in Arizona. His given name is Manumalo Muasau (pronounced MWAH-sow). His older brother also played at Georgia State. Muasau was born on April 15, 1990.
Hill, 6-1 and 194 pounds, was not selected after declaring for the 2011 NFL Draft following his junior season. In three seasons at Florida, Hill played in 38 games with 15 starts and had 144 tackles (94 solo), four interceptions and 1.5 sacks. In 2008, he was named to the SEC All-Freshman team and led the Gators with 22 special teams tackles. The following year he played in 14 games with five starts at safety. Hill had 42 tackles on defense (31 solo) and again led Florida in special teams tackles with 13. In 2010, he started all 10 regular season games in which he played and was credited with 48 tackles (30 solo). Hill tied for a team-high with six tackles in the 2011 Outback Bowl victory over Penn State. A New Jersey native, Hill was named All-America by USA Today and Parade and was a two-time state Offensive Player of the Year at St. Peter's Prep, where he was a three-year starter at quarterback, safety and a returner on special teams. He was born on March 7, 1990.
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