Big Blue add another kicker to mix with Bullock
The Giants must decide quickly whether experience or a big leg matters more for their kicker.
One day after signing veteran Randy Bullock to the practice squad, the Giants signed Cade York to their 53-man roster. It set up an interesting dynamic during the closed portion of Friday’s practice, when both kickers attempted about four field goals and competed to replace an injured Graham Gano for Sunday’s game against the Raiders.
It seems that York has the upper hand since he already has a spot on the active roster — he was poached from the Titans practice squad — and the Giants need a tight end and a gunner to fill their two permissible practice-squad elevations.
“Just coach’s decision who plays,” York said, “and if it’s my call, I’m going to go out there and do what I do.”
A 2022 fourth-round pick of the Browns, the strong-legged York went 24-for-32 on field goals as a rookie. He was cut after going 4-for-8 this preseason, including 0-for-2 on late-game kicks.
“I was getting kind of quick to the ball,” York said. “I was kind of chasing something, a feeling that I had, and I kind of just took it too far. I was actually hitting really well in training camp, but when it came to the game, the tempo just got up and started missing right a little bit.”
York said he is “very confident” after correcting his issues in Titans’ practices.
Bullock was the Titans kicker for the previous two seasons, upping his career total to 138 games. He beat out kickers Mason Crosby, Robbie Gould and Matthew Wright in a tryout Thursday to win a spot on the practice squad.
“I feel like I really performed well,” Bullock said. “It was good competition there so to come out on top of that felt really good. If it is my opportunity, I have to take advantage of it.”
Bullock was surprised to learn that York — who abandoned a round of golf on the ninth hole to join the Giants — was on his way, too.
“I didn’t know, but it’s a revolving door for all this stuff,” Bullock said. “You control what you can control, and you prepare. That’s why I’ve been able to do this as long as I have.”
Gano, who made just 64.7 percent of his field goals after a hit rate of 91.8 percent from 2020-22, will undergo left knee surgery and be placed on injured reserve.
“The first thing I said a few weeks ago when I popped up on the [injury] report was that if I could manage the pain and if I could play well and help the team win, then I’d keep doing it,” Gano said. “The pain, the swelling, instability just kind of increased, and I wasn’t able to obviously do a good job on the field.”
Gano said he was given multiple options as far as surgeries and picked the best odds to return to the field.
“I want to return to the form that I had the first three years here,” Gano said.
Gano defended the Giants training staff against social-media critics wondering how he was cleared to kick against the Jets, when he missed a 35-yard field goal that could’ve prevented a loss. The Giants tied for the highest training-staff grade (A+) across the NFL in an anonymous survey conducted by the Players Association after last season.
“We have one of the best medical staffs in the whole league,” Gano said. “I saw some stuff online questioning them and I don’t swear often, but I think it’s bulls--t, honestly, because they’re one of the best in the league. I would trust my own children with them.”