EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - Ereck Flowers' once-promising career with the Giants ended today when the former first-round draft choice and starting tackle was placed on waivers.
Tackle Brian Mihalik was signed off the practice squad to replace Flowers on the roster.
The Giants, who host the Philadelphia Eagles on Thursday, also signed kicker Marshall Koehn to their practice squad.
Flowers, the 6-6, 329-pounder taken with the ninth overall selection in 2015, was moved to left tackle after Will Beatty tore a pectoral muscle on May 19. He went on to start the first 49 regular-season and postseason games for which he had been active. Flowers missed two games due to injuries, one in his rookie season and the 2017 finale.
This year, Flowers moved from left to right tackle after the Giants signed free agent left tackle Nate Solder. Flowers started the season's first two games at right tackle before being replaced by Chad Wheeler prior to the Giants' victory in Houston on Sept. 23.
In the last three games, including the Giants' last-second loss yesterday at Carolina, Flowers played a total of 12 snaps, all of them as a blocker on extra points and field goals.
Mihalik, 6-9 and 315 pounds, played in 15 games for the Detroit Lions in 2017. He started twice at left tackle, vs. Pittsburgh on Oct. 29 and at Green Bay on Nov. 6.
The Boston College product entered the NFL as a seventh-round draft choice (237th pick overall) of the Philadelphia Eagles in 2015. That year he did a 10-day stint on the Eagles' practice squad.
In 2016, Mihalik signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers on Jan. 20 and was released on Aug. 19. He joined the Lions on Oct. 6, was cut two days later, and signed to Detroit's practice squad on Oct. 11. A week later, Mihalik was re-signed by the Steelers, but did not play in a game.
Mihalik was waived by Pittsburgh on Sept. 2, 2017 and awarded to the Lions the following day. He made his NFL debut against Arizona on Sept. 10, 2017.
The Giants viewed Mihalik up close when they practiced with the Lions for three days in August. He was released by Detroit on Sept. 2 and signed to the Giants' practice squad on Sept. 13.
Koehn was with the Giants from Jan. 1 until his release on Sept. 1. He was re-acquired as a precaution because kicker Aldrick Rosas has a "sore quad," according to coach Pat Shurmur.
Koehn has played in one NFL game, for Cincinnati at Jacksonville on Nov. 5, 2017. He made his only extra point attempt, and had one touchback on two kickoffs. Koehn had previously been with the Miami Dolphins and Minnesota Vikings. In 2014-15 at the University of Iowa, Koehn made 28 of 36 field goal attempts and 92 of 96 PATs.
