EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – The Giants returned to the practice field today after several roster moves that feature new players on both offense and defense.
Three new players were signed to the active roster – free agent wide receiver Bennie Fowler, and two players who had been on the Giants' practice squad, linebacker Ukeme Eligwe and cornerback Grant Haley.
To make room for the newcomers, the Giants waived cornerback Donte Deayon and placed two players on injured reserve: linebacker Ray-Ray Armstrong (concussion) and wide receiver Cody Latimer (hamstring).
The Giants also signed two players to their practice squad: wide receiver Kalif Raymond and defensive end Myles Humphrey. They join another practice squad newcomer, defensive back Ronald Zamort, who was signed yesterday.
Rookie defensive end RJ McIntosh is eligible to practice, though he remains on the reserve/non-football injury list.
Fowler, 6-1 and 212 pounds, played for the Denver Broncos from 2015-17. He joined the team as a rookie free agent from Michigan State in 2014 and spent that season on the Broncos' practice squad.
Fowler played in 45 regular-season games with five starts and caught 56 passes for 698 yards (12.5-yard avg.) and five touchdowns. Fowler also had two catches in three postseason games.
Fowler's claim to fame was the two-point conversion reception he had in the Broncos' victory in Super Bowl 50 – it was Peyton Manning's final career pass attempt. He can become the fourth player to catch passes from both Peyton and Eli Manning; Latimer became the third in Dallas on Sept. 16.
This year, Fowler joined the Chicago Bears as a free agent on April 16. He was released on Sept. 1 and was signed 10 days later by the New England Patriots, who cut him on Sept. 15.
Eligwe, 6-2 and 239 pounds, has been on the Giants' practice squad since Sept. 3, two days after he was released by the Kansas City Chiefs.
Eligwe entered the NFL as a 2017 fifth-round draft choice (183rd overall) by the Kansas City Chiefs, from Georgia Southern. Last year, he played in 14 regular-season games with one start, and played in one postseason game. Eligwe started the regular-season finale at Denver and was credited with three solo tackles – his season total – including a one-yard sack of Paxton Lynch.
Haley, 5-9 and 184 pounds, was signed by the Giants as a rookie free agent from Penn State on May 10. He was waived on Sept. 1 and signed to the practice squad the following day.
Haley was a teammate of Saquon Barkley's at Penn State, where he played in 49 games with 36 starts and finished with 139 tackles (89 solo), five interceptions, 23 passes defensed, 2.0 sacks and 6.5 tackles for loss. He was elected a team captain as a senior in 2017.
Armstrong, who joined the Giants on Nov. 27, 2017, played in all six games with one start (vs. New Orleans on Sept. 30) and had 18 tackles (12 solo), plus two special teams stops. Armstrong suffered a concussion in the Giants' loss to Philadelphia last week.
Latimer hurt his hamstring in that game, when he also had season-high totals of three receptions for 52 yards, including a 39-yarder. He signed with the Giants on March 19 after four seasons with the Broncos.
Deayon, who first joined the Giants as an undrafted rookie in 2016, played in four games last season and four this season. He had seven tackles (six solo) last year, and six (four solo) this season. Deayon was in uniform, but did not play last week vs. the Eagles.
Raymond, 5-8 and 182 pounds, played in six games for the Giants in 2017. He caught one pass for 12 yards, and averaged 4.7 yards on 13 punt returns and 16.9 yards on 11 kickoff returns. Raymond was waived on Sept. 1.
Humphrey, 6-3 and 238 pounds, was signed as a rookie free agent by the Baltimore Ravens on May 7. He was waived on Sept. 1 and spent Sept. 2-26 on the team's practice squad. Humphrey played at Shepherd University in West Virginia.
Zamort, 5-10 and 174 pounds, entered the NFL as a rookie free agent in 2016 with the Arizona Cardinals, from Western Michigan. He has not played in a regular-season game.
McIntosh was the Giants' fifth-round draft choice this year, from the University of Miami. He did not participate in the spring drills or training camp and was placed on reserve/NFI. With McIntosh's return to practice, the Giants have a 21-day window to activate him to the 53-man roster (until Nov. 6, two days after the Giants' bye). If they do no activate him, McIntosh will remain on the reserve list.
