The later it is in the game, the higher Corey Washington rises in his uphill challenge to stick around on the Giants’ roster.
Rookies have been highly productive in the preseason and then found themselves cut from the final 53-man roster. Washington is hoping to avoid that fate and, with three game-winning touchdown catches in the Giants’ three exhibition wins, he’s stating case without saying a word.
“Is it a little much? It’s not too much,’’ Washington said after hauling in another one, this time giving the Giants a strange 27-26 victory Saturday night in Indianapolis in a game they trailed 26-0 in the fourth quarter. “I make plays. I’m a professional, got to go out and make those catches like that. It’s fun, showing the coaches that I can go out and play on this level, hopefully make the 53-man roster.’’
In the Hall of Fame Game opener, Washington’s leaping catch-and-run for 73 yards early in the fourth quarter provided the winning points against the Bills. Next, Washington used every bit of his 6-foot-4 frame on a fade thrown by Curtis Painter that resulted in a 3-yard scoring pass with 2:50 remaining to beat the Steelers. Washington had two receptions for 16 yards before running a go-route and securing Ryan Nassib’s pass for a 4-yard TD to complete the comeback against the Colts.
“He’s physical, he’s big, he can go up and make that big play over the top — it’s something he’s honed in on,’’ Victor Cruz said. “It’s good to see his growth from the first day he got here to now and we’re excited about it.’’
This is quite unexpected, given Washington played at Georgia Military Academy and then Newberry College, was not drafted, and was signed and cut by the Cardinals barely two weeks later. Much of what Washington does on the field is unrefined, but height cannot be taught and his production is hard to ignore. The next challenge will come when Washington gets tested against better players, as his exploits have come largely against third-team defenders, many of whom will not make it through the final round of cuts.
“Being from a small school I figured I would come in in the fourth quarter, I needed to keep my composure, stay mentally focused and go out and make plays and show that I deserve to play in the first half or the third quarter,’’ Washington said. “I only can control myself. I can’t go out and say I want to play first team, second team. I’m undrafted, so there’s nothing I can do about it. Just keep playing hard and go out and keep making plays.’’