#Giants put finishing touches on 53-man roster

The Giants claimed three players off waivers on Sunday as they put the finishing touches on their 53-man roster heading into the season.

The Giants were awarded wide receiver Damion Ratley from the Browns and two players from the Chiefs: Offensive tackle Jackson Barton and safety Adrian Colbert.

Linebacker Ryan Connelly, the Giants’ fifth round draft pick in 2019, was cut on Saturday and a day later was claimed by the Vikings. Connelly is from Eden Prairie, Minn., making this a homecoming for him after the Giants kept him off their initial roster.

Center Jon Halapio, re-signed last Wednesday and cut three days later, declined the Giants’ offer to be part of their 16-player practice squad. Halapio started 15 games for the Giants in 2019 before going down with a torn Achilles tendon in Week 17.

The Giants are expected to put rookie safety Xavier McKinney (broken foot) and linebacker David Mayo (torn meniscus) on injured reserve, with a designation to return. That will clear two roster spots for the newly-claimed players.

Ratley, 25, had 25 receptions for 344 yards and one touchdown in two years with the Browns. The 6-foot-2, 200-pound Ratley was a 2018 sixth round draft pick out of Texas A&M.

Colbert, 26, has 27 NFL games and 17 starts on his resume. He started five games last season for the Dolphins when Patrick Graham – currently the Giants defensive coordinator – ran the defense in Miami. Colbert was a 2017 seventh round pick of the 49ers and was with the Seahawks and Dolphins before signing and then getting cut this summer by the Chiefs.

Barton, 25, was a 2019 seventh round pick of the Colts out of Utah. The 6-foot-7, 302-pound Barton did not make the Colts roster and was signed last November by the Chiefs.

As for Halapio, just because a team wants a player on the practice squad does not mean the feeling is mutual. Halapio thought the Giants’ interest in him last week was for their actual 53-man roster. This was not the case, which is why Halapio declined the Giants’ offer to be one of their 16 practice squad players. Halapio will look elsewhere and the expectation is he will find a team that wants him for their roster.

The Giants, as expected, are filling their practice squad with players with them in training camp and cut on Saturday. Those expected to sign to the practice squad are wide receivers Austin Mack, Derrick Dillon, Alex Bachman and Johnny Holton, offensive linemen Tyler Haycraft and Kyle Murphy and long snapper Carson Tinker.

Giants also will sign QB Cooper Rush to the practice squad.