BACK FOR MORE: Tight end Bear Pascoe (right) and defensive lineman Shaun Rogers were re-signed by the Giants yesterday. (Neil Miller; N.Y. Post: Charles Wenzelberg)
After making headlines with the marquee players they released, the Giants hope the low-key moves they made Thursday will help add some depth to a roster that continues to be reshaped.
The day after the Giants cut defensive tackle Chris Canty, they added bulk by re-signing Shaun Rogers, a 350-pound interior defensive lineman who missed the entire 2012 season with a blood clot in his leg. They also re-signed tight end Bear Pascoe.
The Giants last year acquired Rogers and had plans to use him in a rotation and were encouraged when he showed up to training camp having lost a load of weight — some of his new teammates said he tipped the scales at 400 pounds during the spring. He didn’t make it through camp, though, because he was diagnosed with the blood clot and when he was placed on injured reserve it figured to be the end of the line for the 13-year NFL veteran.
Apparently the Giants think otherwise. There’s a gaping hole in the lineup at defensive tackle, with Linval Joseph returning to one starting spot and no one on the roster ready to move in as Canty’s replacement. It is probably a stretch to view the massive Rogers as a full-time player, but the Giants want to get bulkier up the middle and this past season were brutal in stopping the run. If Rogers has anything left in the tank he can help in those areas.
Rogers, 33, has played in 156 regular-season games with 128 starts for the Lions (seven years), Browns (three years) and Saints (one year). He made the NFC Pro Bowl team in 2004 and 2005 and was a reserve on the AFC team in 2008.
Pascoe received a one-year contract worth about $900,000. He’s been with the Giants for four years and is coming off a season in which he played in 15 games and caught only four passes for 35 yards and his first career touchdown. With starting tight end Martellus Bennett an unrestricted free agent, the position is devoid of depth and so bringing Pascoe back makes sense. Travis Beckum is also a free agent but the Giants are unlikely to try to re-sign him. They figure to be interested in a return for Bennett if the numbers add up.
* DE Osi Umenyiora’s contract Thursday was officially voided, making him an unrestricted free agent, but he will not be able to sign with another team until free agency begins March 12.
* LB Michael Boley, released earlier this week, joined Ahmad Bradshaw and Chris Canty in taking the high road in his parting comments.
“I very much enjoyed my time,’’ Boley said on WFAN. “Some of my best four years were with the Giants. They gave me a second chance. They gave me a shot to get a Super Bowl ring. They’ve definitely done well by me since I’ve been here.’’