Backup QB, tight end join the mix
The Giants have a new backup quarterback, signing Mike Glennon to serve as depth behind starter Daniel Jones.
They also have a new tight end, adding veteran Kyle Rudolph who spent the past decade with the Vikings.
The two moves Thursday continued what has been a quietly busy free agency for the Giants.
Glennon’s arrival means Colt McCoy’s time with the Giants has ended after one season, as coach Joe Judge sought an upgrade.
The 31-year-old Glennon was once thought to be a quarterback of the future — first for the Buccaneers, later for the Bears. It did not work out at either stop. In 27 career starts, Glennon has a record of 6-21, though his NFL numbers (45 touchdown passes, 25 interceptions) suggest some of the struggles he has encountered are indicative of the teams and franchises around him.
The 6-foot-7 Glennon was a 2013 third-round draft pick of the Buccaneers out of North Carolina State. He actually started 13 games as a rookie. He went 4-9, but was competitive, with 19 touchdown passes and just nine interceptions.
After three years in Tampa, Glennon signed a three-year, $45 million contract with the Bears. He went 1-3 in four starts during the 2016 season, then was on the move again.
He has since been with the Cardinals, Raiders and Jaguars. In 2020, he went 0-5 as a starter for the Jaguars. His career passer rating is 83.5. Jones’ passer rating after two seasons is 84.1.
McCoy, 34, started two games in his one season with the Giants, beating the Seahawks in Seattle and losing to the Browns two weeks later.
In addition to Jones and Glennon, the Giants also have Clayton Thorson on the roster at quarterback.
Rudolph, 31, played in 140 games, with 132 starts, for the Vikings and agreed to a two-year deal worth up to $14 million. He has never ascended as high as he did in 2016, when he had 83 receptions for 840 yards and seven touchdowns, but he has proven to be a reliable pass-catcher and steady blocker. His production has been in decline the past two years. In 2020, he played in 12 games and had 28 catches for 334 yards, missing the last four games with a foot injury.
What does this mean for Evan Engram, the incumbent starting tight end? Not much. Rudolph is not arriving to take Engram’s job. He joins a tightend room that, for now, includes Engram, Levine Toilolo (who reduced his contract to stay on the roster) and Kaden Smith. There will be competition this summer to determine who stays and who goes, but Engram, playing for the fifth-year option of $6 million, is still in the plans. Engram’s contract became fully guaranteed on Wednesday.
Brandon Copeland, a 29-year-old linebacker, will reportedly visit with the Giants (and also the Falcons). Copeland has been with five NFL teams, including the Jets, and tore a pectoral muscle last October with the Patriots.
The Giants finished off a busy day by signing inside linebacker Reggie Ragland to a one-year contract. Ragland is a player they see as providing depth to their defense, a run-stopper who might be able to complement the skills of Blake Martinez.