At one time, the Broncos had big hopes for Cody Latimer, making him their 2014 second-round draft pick out of Indiana. Four years and not much impact on the field later, the Giants are taking a chance on him, adding a tall receiver to a room that includes Odell Beckham Jr., Sterling Shepard and, for now, Brandon Marshall.
Latimer, 25, did not contribute much in the way of statistics in his time in Denver, with only 35 career receptions for 445 yards and three touchdowns. He is 6 feet 2 and considered a possession-type receiver. It remains to be seen how his signing Monday affects Marshall, who was limited to five games in 2017, his first season with the Giants, before he was put on injured reserve, needing ankle surgery. Marshall, 33, is due to count $6.1 million on the salary cap, and cutting him would save the Giants $5.1 million on the cap. It is likely the Giants need that money in order to finish up their business in free agency.
Receiver and special-teamer Dwayne Harris also is vulnerable, as he also finished up last season on injured reserve and has been wearing down. Harris will count $4 million on the cap, and cutting him saves the Giants $2.45 million in cap space.
It turned out to be a busy day for the Giants, who added players to fill slots on the depth chart. They signed Josh Mauro, a defensive end from the Cardinals, re-signed defensive end Kerry Wynn and signed cornerback B.W. Webb.
Mauro joins linebacker Kareem Martin in coming to the Giants from Arizona, where new Giants defensive coordinator James Bettcher ran the defense the past three years. Mauro figures to challenge for a starting spot as an end in Bettcher’s three-man defensive line as the front office adds pieces to improve the run defense.
“It’s shoot first, ask questions later,” Mauro told the Giants website, describing Bettcher’s defense. “It is an offensive defense. I like to play that type of way, just getting off the rock, being explosive, just causing mayhem in the backfield. There’s a lot of pieces that really fit that type of style, that type of mold. I think it’s going to be very effective.”
Latimer’s most productive season was in 2017, when he caught 19 passes for 287 yards and two touchdowns. He has started three games in four years. This is a reunion with Tyke Tolbert, Latimer’s receivers coach in Denver. Tolbert, hired by Pat Shurmur to coach the Giants receivers, no doubt had positive things to report to the front office about Latimer and welcomed him on Twitter, posting, “He has grown as a person and a player since entering the NFL 4 years ago!”
The Giants are interested in overhauling their roster, but they did not turn their backs on all of their own unrestricted free agents. They brought back Wynn on a one-year contract.
Looking to fortify their depth, the Giants also signed Webb to a one-year deal. Webb, 27, is the definition of well-traveled. Taken out of William & Mary by the Cowboys in the fourth round of the 2013 NFL Draft, Webb in his five years has been with the Cowboys, Steelers, Titans and Saints, in training camp with the Bears and spent last season with the Browns — a new team every year. Webb did not appear in a game in 2017, spending 10 days in December with the Browns.
Wynn, who received a one-year deal, is a roster survivor, entering his fifth season with the Giants after arriving undrafted in 2014 out of Richmond. Although he has 10 career NFL starts, Wynn is a backup, playing in 44 of a possible 48 games the past three years, filling a role on defense and on special teams. He is, first and foremost, a run-stopper, with limited pass-rush contributions.
The Giants see the 6-5, 264-pound Wynn as a good fit in the 3-4 front Bettcher is bringing in. Wynn can stop the run while the defensive end/linebackers on the outside — now to include Jason Pierre-Paul and Olivier Vernon — attack the quarterback.