Harris another Big Blue salary-cap casualty

Eyes widened when the Giants signed Dwayne Harris in 2015, giving him a five-year, $17.5 million contract and guaranteed him $7.1 million, a nice chunk of change for a player who had made his reputation on special teams.

Harris made it through three years of the deal, but his time with the Giants came to an end Thursday, when his contract was terminated, an expected move that saves the team $2.45 million on this year’s salary cap.

Harris, 30, played his first four NFL seasons with the Cowboys and wore down the past few years, beset by nagging ailments that often forced him to limp off the field, only to return later in the game, a tribute to his toughness.

As a receiver, Harris contributed 37 receptions for 409 yards in his three seasons. He had a total of only one catch the past two seasons and played in only five games in 2017 before fracturing his foot in Week 5 against the Chargers. Receiver Brandon Marshall, another player lost in that game — he went down with an ankle injury that needed surgery — is also in danger of becoming a salarycap casualty. The Giants would save $5.1 million on the cap by jettisoning Marshall. It is more likely, the Giants will ask Marshall to take a pay cut and have him compete for a spot this summer.

Harris’ best work came as a return man, but he regressed badly in his production. He is the third player in Giants history with a kickoff and punt return for a touchdown in the same season — the first to do it in 60 years. He is the first Giants player to score a touchdown on a punt return, kickoff return and with a reception in the same season. The signing of receiver and special teamer Cody Latimer made Harris expendable.