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Giants draft targets to help bolster secondary
The New York Giants lost a key component of their defense this offseason as starting S Julian Love signed with the Seattle Seahawks. The Giants are now thin in the secondary and may look to replace Love during the 2023 NFL Draft.
Jordan Battle - Safety, Alabama
Of the safety prospects in this year's draft class, one player stands out for his connection to a member of the Giants' defense. Alabama S Jordan Battle described Giants S Xavier McKinney as a "great mentor" and expressed interest in reuniting with his college teammate at the 2023 NFL Scouting Combine.
"Just growing up alongside X, he helped me understand the playbook faster," Battle said. "I had to get on the field early as a freshman when I got to 'Bama. I started about four games my freshman year. Just knowing that I didn't have that pressure on me because I was so prepared, X was a big part of that."
Battle has a second-round value, according to Keith Sanchez of The Draft Network. Sanchez describes the versatile safety as a prospect who "should be able to step in and instantly fill a strong safety position role for an NFL team, and also be able to contribute at other positions on the field."
At 6-foot-1, 210 pounds, Battle has the frame to align close to the line of scrimmage as a box safety. During his final season at Alabama, Battle totaled 71 tackles and one interception for the Crimson Tide. The Giants could draft Battle to start at strong safety opposite of McKinney.
Jordan Battle gets an INT in his final game with the Tide
— PFF College (@PFF_College) December 31, 2022
Stud
pic.twitter.com/Dmn5y9cV2H
Antonio Johnson - Safety, Texas A&M
The Giants' kryptonite on defense last season was their inability to stop the run. New York let up 144.2 rushing yards per game during the regular season (27th in the NFL) and surrendered 268 yards on the ground in their season-ending defeat to the Philadelphia Eagles during the postseason.
Antonio Johnson out of Texas A&M is a day-two safety prospect that help solve this problem for Big Blue. Johnson is a physical 6-foot-2, 198-pound safety that can "play the run from a variety of alignments," as described by Joe Marino of The Draft Network.
Johnson is a dynamic, hybrid safety that frequently aligns in the slot as a nickel cornerback, another position of need for the Giants. He recorded 71 total tackles, five tackles for loss, three passes defended, and one sack for the Aggies as a senior in 2022.
Lance Zierlein of NFL.com describes Johnson as a "big, athletic safety with versatility to line up over the slot or inside the box for additional run support." With McKinney playing the single-high free safety role in the middle of the Giants' defense, Johnson could perfectly fit in as a box safety.
More must-reads:
- Beat writer suggests Giants could move on from two-time Pro Bowler
- Giants: Projecting Dexter Lawrence’s massive contract extension
- The 'New York Giants home stadiums' quiz
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Former Pro Bowl RB announces retirement
After being unable to find an NFL opportunity in 2024, Latavius Murray is hanging up his cleats. The veteran running back announced on Thursday that he is retiring at the age of 35 (video link via NFL insider Jordan Schultz). A sixth-round pick of the Raiders in 2013, Murray played on a rotational basis the following year before taking on starting duties. He recorded his first and only 1,000-yard campaign in 2015 and secured a Pro Bowl nod in the process. A career-best 12 rushing touchdowns during his final Raiders season set Murray up for a strong free agent market. The UCF product landed a three-year, $15M Vikings pact on the open market. Murray ended up spending a pair of seasons in Minnesota, where he operated as part of a backfield tandem with Dalvin Cook. A similar setup was in place with New Orleans when Murray paired with Alvin Kamara for the 2019 and ’20 campaigns, during which he remained a consistent producer on the ground. Murray caught on with the Ravens in 2021 shortly after being cut. As part of a Baltimore backfield ravaged by preseason injuries, he managed to handle a notable workload before finding himself on the move once again the following season. In 2022, Murray briefly returned to the Saints before signing from the practice squad to the Broncos’ active roster midway through the campaign. That decision set up a starting role to close out the season and helped earn him a Bills pact for 2023. Logging a 32% snap share with Buffalo, Murray remained healthy but saw his yards per attempt average dip below 4.1 for the first time since 2017. That was a key factor in the Bills’ decision not to retain him, even though Murray was open to an extended stay with the team. After spending last season without a deal, today will mark the end of the line after 10 NFL seasons. In all, Murray played 158 combined regular and postseason games throughout his NFL tenure, totaling over 8,000 scrimmage yards and 61 touchdowns. He amassed more than $21M in career earnings.
Carlos Correa Reunites With the Houston Astros In Blockbuster Move
Carlos Correa is returning to the team where he made his name in Major League Baseball. The star infielder was traded to the Houston Astros from the Minnesota Twins on Thursday. There was speculation surrounding a reunion, but talks reportedly stalled. One day later, he waived his no-trade clause to return to Houston. How will his return play out on the field? Correa Hopes To Reproduce Success Following Trade The shortstop was not at his best with the Minnesota Twins in 2025. He is hitting .267 with 7 home runs and 31 RBI. The star infielder helped the Astros win the 2017 World Series. He will return to a new-look Astros infield. He will play alongside the newly-acquired Ramon Urias and franchise cornerstone Jeremy Pena. The team moved off Correa to set the stage for Pena. Now, they will play alongside one another on the left side of the infield during what the ballclub hopes ends in another championship. Final Thoughts Correa returning to Houston is a great story. Only time will tell if he will be able to get back on track with a franchise he is extremely familiar with.
Clippers Announce Multiple Roster Moves After Chris Paul Press Conference
The LA Clippers are putting the final touches on a roster that looks to be a great one, on paper. They've had a busy offseason when many expected them to mostly stand pat, adding Chris Paul, Brook Lopez, and Bradley Beal in free agency while trading Norman Powell away in a three-team deal that netted them John Collins. To make the Bradley Beal move, the Clippers had to waive Jordan Miller, a young prospect they have a lot of belief in. He stayed with the team for the NBA Summer League, made the All-Summer League First Team, but still couldn't find any other opportunities, so it was believed the Clippers could bring him back in some capacity. The Clippers announced on Tuesday that they re-signed Jordan Miller, bringing the former Miami Hurricane back on a two-way contract. They had three two-way players signed already, so they also announced who they waived. "The LA Clippers have signed Jordan Miller to a two-way contract," they announced. "In a corresponding move, the Clippers have waived Patrick Baldwin Jr." Miller averaged 4.1 PPG in his 37 appearances for the Clippers last season, and a staggering 24.5 PPG in his infrequent appearances in the G-League. He was the 48th overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft and has made a lasting impression on the organization in his time. Baldwin, a former first-round pick by the Golden State Warriors in the 2022 NBA Draft, wasn't signed to his two-way contract by the Clippers until March, and he only appeared in two games for them. He was traded after his rookie season for Chris Paul, spent a year and a half with the Wizards, then who traded to the San Antonio Spurs in a four-team deal last year before being waived.
Fight! Steelers Address Altercations Between Stars
Training camp practice got a little chippy for the Pittsburgh Steelers on Thursday from Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, Pa., but that's just the name of the game at this time of the year. Tight end Jonnu Smith, who got into a bit of a prolonged scuffle with safety Juan Thornhill, stated that the team understands they can't carry those sorts of antics into the regular season and are rather using training camp to let those emotions out. "We want to win and just bring certain characteristics out," Smith said. "We understand that we can't take this to Sunday, so we can let it out here at training camp, you know what I mean, and kind of bottle it up." Smith and Thornhill's "fight" stemmed from a leaping catch that the former made, after which he threw the ball at the latter. Thornhill proceeded to rip Smith's helmet off before Jalen Ramsey broke up the altercation. Afterwards, Thornhill shoved the ball in Smith's chest following a one-on-one-rep in which the pass fell incomplete. The pair of newcomers grabbed each other's facemasks, and that was the end of the spat. “It’s extremely fun," Smith said. "It gets kinda quiet, we got to wake the stands up a little bit. It’s training camp, we are out here competing and having fun.” Another pair of first-year Steelers in wide receiver DK Metcalf and Chuck Clark, the latter of whom signed a one-year deal with the team last week, also exchanged words. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's Brian Batko reported that Clark threw punches in Metcalf's direction, though that situation didn't reach the same level that Smith and Thornhill's did. Pittsburgh's offense got the better of the team's defense on Thursday after those roles have been reversed throughout the entirety of camp up to this point, and Metcalf stated that both units live for the competition that has arisen thus far. "It's always fun when you've got a competitive group on the other side lining up across from you," Metcalf said. "Both sides are talking and backing it up. I just think it brings out the best competiton in people. As you saw today, the offense really kicked their [expletive] today." Scuffles are a constant in camps across the league, which includes the Steelers, but they typically aren't a sign of any locker room issues and rather just the nature of the beast.
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