There is a reason why coaches do not call players to inform them they’ve made the team on NFL cut-down day. The 53-man roster is fluid until the season starts. Players who think they’ve made the team on Saturday can get cut on Sunday as the waiver-claim process begins.
The Giants dipped into the waiver waters Sunday, claiming defensive tackle Louis Nix III from the Texans and cornerback/kick returner Asa Jackson from the Ravens.
To make room on the roster, the Giants cut defensive tackle Kenrick Ellis and cornerback Mike Harris. Ellis, the former Jets run-stopper, did not do enough in the eyes of the coaching staff to unseat Markus Kuhn. Parting ways with Harris means Jayron Hosley survives a summer battle to stay around.
Both newcomers are coming off uneven preseasons. The Texans traded up to take Nix out of Notre Dame in the third round of the 2014 NFL Draft — his stock dropped because of knee issues — but he hasn’t played a down for Houston in the regular season. He spent his rookie year on injured reserve. Nix, 24, started every preseason game this summer, as the Texans rested veteran Vince Wilfork, but the 6-foot-2, 331-pound Nix did not show enough to impress coach Bill O’Brien, who once said he’d like to see Nix “make it through a practice’’ as he questioned his professionalism.
Jackson, 25, was a 2012 fifth-round pick for the Ravens out of Cal Poly and it is likely Giants defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo put in a good word; Spagnuolo was a defensive assistant in Baltimore the past two seasons. Jackson handled the kick return duties for the Ravens in the preseason but lost fumbles on punts in back-to-back games. He showed promise with a 103-yard kickoff return and a 53-yard punt return but failed to reach the end zone on either of the long returns.
Ravens coach John Harbaugh said of Jackson “You can tell he’s just a dangerous, dangerous returner. But you’ve got to be dangerous for them, not for us.’’
The Giants in the offseason signed Dwayne Harris from the Cowboys to handle kickoff and punt returns and it is likely the Giants are more interested in Jackson as a cornerback. Jackson has played 14 regular-season games with six starts. He has been suspended twice in his career for violating the league’s performance-enhancing drug policy, missing four games as a rookie and eight games in 2013. He was found to be using Adderall without the proper approval.
The Giants are one of many teams to express interest in trading for disgruntled Seahawks star safety Kam Chancellor, who has not reported to the team this summer and wants to renegotiate his four-year, $28 million contract. The price tag for acquiring Chancellor — it is unlikely the Seahawks will trade him — will be prohibitive, likely multiple high draft picks.
Six players released Saturday by the Giants were signed to the practice squad: DE Brad Bars, S C.J. Conway, OL Adam Gettis, OL Emmett Cleary, WR Julian Talley, LB Cole Farrand.