Kirkendall Posted May 21, 2004 Report Share Posted May 21, 2004 From ESPN's Lenny...Continuing to add depth to their defense, specifically in the front four, the New York Giants have signed unrestricted free-agent tackle Glen Steele, whose entire NFL tenure had been with the Cincinnati Bengals.And on a busy Thursday, the Giants also made a number of other roster moves. They acquired quarterback Kurt Kittner on waivers and signed wide receiver James McKnight, a 10-year veteran who played in Miami the past three seasons, as a free agent.Kittner completed 44 of 114 passes for two touchdowns and six interceptions with the Atlanta Falcons last season. He posted a 1-3 record as a starter, with his only win coming in a 27-7 decision over the Giants.Kittner was released by the Falcons last month. Cincinnati acquired him on waivers and released him May 10. Steele, 29, is the fifth defensive lineman, fourth tackle and ninth defensive player overall to sign with the Giants during free agency. The six-year veteran signed a one-year contract for a base salary of $660,000.He joins fellow free-agent tackles Fred Robbins (Minnesota), Martin Chase (Washington) and Norman Hand (San Diego) in what figures to be an interesting training camp competition for playing time.The Giants, who statistically ranked No. 22 in total defense in 2003, also have signed two free-agent linebackers, both of whom will start, and a pair of defensive backs. The spate of veteran acquisitions could produce as many as four new starters, and New York still might be considering one or two more additions.One of the Giants' 2003 starting tackles, Cornelius Griffin, defected to Washington in free agency. The other, Keith Hamilton, retired after a 12-year career.Former University of Miami star William Joseph, New York's first-round choice in the 2003 draft, was being counted on to move into the starting lineup, but he suffered a torn pectoral muscle in an offseason weightlifting accident and isn't expected to be fully recovered until training camp.Steele was pursued earlier in free agency by Tennessee, and dialogue continued for several weeks, with the Titans unable to make a move because of their tight salary cap. When the Titans addressed their defensive line needs in the draft, talks with Steele and his agent broke off.Steele was chosen by the Bengals in the fourth round of the 1998 draft from Michigan. He appeared in 90 games, with 10 starts, in six years and is regarded as a very solid rotational tackle. A durable player, Steele has appeared in 80 straight games, playing all 16 contests each of the past five seasons.Steele's career totals include 115 tackles, 3½ sacks, one forced fumble and one recovery.McKnight, 31, has played in 122 games and started 47 of them in stints with Seattle (1994-98), Dallas (1999-2000) and Miami (2001-2003). He has 222 receptions for 3,595 yards and 18 touchdowns. His best stretch came in 2000-2001, when he totaled 107 catches for 1,610 yards. Appearing in 15 games in 2003, with one start, McKnight caught just 23 passes.In other moves, the Giants signed fifth-year wide receiver JuJuan Dawson, a former fourth-round pick whose journeyman career includes 52 receptions, and three-year veteran safety Jason Doering, formerly of Indianapolis. The club released five players, most of them rookie free agents, but the list of victims does include veteran safety Clarence LeBlanc, who played in just four games in three seasons with New York. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
schweinhart Posted May 21, 2004 Report Share Posted May 21, 2004 So long Glen. He gave a good go of it for us.I wish him the best, except on Dec. 26 at which time he will be mercilessly pummeled if he dares to take the field. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LABengalsFan09 Posted May 21, 2004 Report Share Posted May 21, 2004 Good luck Glen, but just a friendly reminder for you...Dec. 26 you might want to get out of the way because Rudi will be coming through with a full head of steam!!!!!!!!!!I don't even want to say what's going to happen to Eli, this is a family site! :player: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JPW Posted May 21, 2004 Report Share Posted May 21, 2004 Looks to me like the Giants must be in pretty sorry shape. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HoosierCat Posted May 23, 2004 Report Share Posted May 23, 2004 Looks to me like the Giants must be in pretty sorry shape. "Pretty sorry shape" is a generous assessment. Meli is about to discover that their o-line is little more than a speed bump, their wideouts are average on a good day, Barber can't hold on to the ball on a consistent basis, and the only thing their D has going for it is Strahan. And he's about 85 years old. And oh yeah, the league's already dinged Coughlin two days of practices because of labor violations, and parts of the team continue to grumble about his tactics (y'know, like making them show up on time and practice and stuff... ) Bottom line: the biggest worry I have about the Gi-gnats game this year is that it might turn out to be a "trap" game! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redsfan2 Posted May 23, 2004 Report Share Posted May 23, 2004 The thing that I've noticed this off season is that the players we're cutting or exposing to free agency are actually being taken on by other teams. Latest examples being these two. Most of the guys we got rid of during coach Lewis' inaugural season ended up with construction jobs ............. " not that there's anything wrong with that. " Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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