Less than 24 hours after the New York Giants made a flurry of moves to get the roster down to 53-men, they are already making more moves. This time they have signed Louis Nix III, and Asa Jackson and moved on from Kenrick Ellis.
Nix was drafted by the Houston Texans in the 3rd round of the 2014 NFL Draft. Due to injuries, Nix was forced to undergo three knee surgeries which cut his rookie season short. After just one year, the Texans finally decided to give up on the once promising defensive tackle when they released him on Saturday in order to get their roster to 53-men. This move is a bit of a surprise as Nix was entering just his second year in the NFL. Nix was awarded to the Giants today off of waivers.
In order to get Nix the Giants cut ties with 27-year old Kenrick Ellis. Ellis was signed by the Giants this year after he began his career with the New York Jets. The moves shocked some as Ellis showed promise this off-season, as well as being just 27-years old. Ellis would have been a good player to help stop the run but the Giants clearly thought otherwise and opted for the slightly younger Nix.
Asa Jackson is a good add as he helps bolster the Giants secondary. Jackson played with the Baltimore Ravens last year and played in six games. As a return man, he fumbled twice this preseason and that pretty much ended his hopes of making the team. Jackson won't have to return punts in New York as they have signed Dwayne Harris to fill that role. Jackson should have a good fit in a Giants secondary that has been very deflated in the last few weeks due to a mountain of injuries.
Now with the additions off Nix and Jackson, the Giants feel the minor additions this off-season have helped them to be able to compete with the tough NFC East this season. The Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys are the Giants main competition in the East this year. The other team, the Washington Redskins, have had all kinds of off-season issues and appear in bad shape to contend for an NFC East crown this year.
