Giants free agency and trade buzz: Big Blue signs veteran EDGE Tashawn Bower, waives OLB Elerson Smith

Here's the latest Giants free agent and trade buzz during the 2023 NFL offseason...

July 25, 10:40 a.m.

The Giants have signed edge rusher Tashawn Bower after he worked out with the team on Monday, according to numerous reports.

The 28-year-old went undrafted out of LSU in 2017.

Bower ended up signing with the Vikings and cracked their active roster for the first two seasons before being cut. Over that span, he made just seven tackles and recorded his first career sack.

He then signed with the Patriots on their practice squad and again was able to crack the roster. During the 2020 season, he appeared in seven games and recorded 11 tackles, two tackles for loss, and his only other career sack.

Bower joined the Raiders last season and put together a tremendous preseason showing with four sacks. The pass rusher went on to appear in six games during the regular season and made just two tackles.

Additionally, the Giants have waived OLB Elerson Smith, who the team selected in the fourth round of the 2021 NFL Draft.

The Northern Iowa product dealt with numerous injuries and appeared in just 13 games over the past two seasons. He made a total of 11 tackles and had one forced fumble.

June 15, 4:10 p.m.

The Giants have signed defensive tackle Kobe Smith after the team hosted him for a workout on Thursday, according to numerous reports.

Smith went undrafted out of South Carolina back in 2020. He's spent time with the Titans, Buccaneers, Eagles and Falcons but was mainly on the practice squad.

The 24-year-old has yet to appear in an NFL game.

Smith most recently appeared in the XFL with the San Antonio Brahmas and he recorded 0.5 sacks and seven tackles (two solo, one for a loss) across three games played.

He'll join his former Bucs teammate, Rakeem Nunez-Roches, with Big Blue as he looks to make his NFL debut this season.

In a corresponding roster move, the Giants have waived wide receiver Dre Miller.

April 6, 4:05 p.m.

The Giants have agreed to terms with free agent offensive lineman J.C. Hassenauer, as first reported by Darren Wolfson.

The 27-year-old signed with the Atlanta Falcons as an undrafted free agent out of Alabama in 2018 and spent the season on the practice squad. After appearing in eight games with the Birmingham Iron of the now-defunct AAF, he signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers ahead of the 2019 season and made his NFL debut in late 2020.

Hassenauer appeared in 45 games with Pittsburgh over the last three seasons, making seven starts. He played 626 offensive snaps, with 75 percent coming at center and the rest at left guard.

The Giants have a need at center after the departure of Jon Feliciano and Nick Gates.

April 3, 11:17 a.m.

The Giants have already upgraded their linebacking unit it a big way this offseason by signing Bobby Okereke, but they may not be done.

According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, former Cleveland Browns and Atlanta Falcons linebacker Deion Jones is visiting the Giants on Monday.

Jones, 28, was a second-round pick of the Falcons in 2016, finishing third in Defensive Rookie of the Year voting before earning a Pro Bowl nod in his second season. Jones missed 10 games in 2018 and then missed six games in 2022 following offseason shoulder surgery, but he’s been a productive player during his time as a pro, racking up 696 combined tackles, 12 interceptions, 11.0 sacks, and five forced fumbles in 96 regular season games.

March 23, 1:07 p.m.

The Giants continue to add more weapons for Daniel Jones, with the team signing veteran Jamison Crowder to a one-year deal, per multiple reports.

Crowder, who will turn 30 in June, has had a productive eight-year career, playing four years in Washington, three with the Jets, and a brief four-game stint with the Buffalo Bills last season.

Overall, Crowder has 4,667 career receiving yards on 415 catches with 28 career touchdowns.

Crowder played just four games last season after fracturing his ankle in early October.

In addition to Crowder, the Giants signed TE Tommy Sweeney and CB Amani Oruwariye, per multiple reports.

Oruwariye has started 34 games during his NFL career.

March 22, 1:55 p.m.

The Giants have a glaring need at center following the departure of Jon Feliciano and Nick Gates, but a possible answer for the starting job met with the team on Wednesday.

According to ESPN’s Jordan Raanan, free agent J.C. Hassenauer visited the Giants on Wednesday.

The 27-year-old originally signed with the Atlanta Falcons as an undrafted free agent out of Alabama in 2018, but never appeared in a game with Atlanta. He signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers ahead of the 2019 season and made his debut in December 2020.

In total, Hassenauer appeared in 45 games with the Steelers over the last three seasons, making seven starts.

At the very least, Hassenauer could give the Giants some depth on the interior of the line, if signed.

March 21, 6:08 p.m.

After Julian Love signed with the Seattle Seahawks, the Giants were left with a void at safety.

On Tuesday, Big Blue added veteran safety Bobby McCain on a one-year deal, according to multiple reports.

McCain, 29, has played eight years in the NFL, including six with Miami and the last two years with the Washington Commanders. In 121 career games (87 starts), McCain has 11 interceptions, 4.0 sacks, and two forced fumbles.

March 20, 11:30 p.m.

The Giants will have a spot to fill up front after offensive lineman Jon Feliciano signed a one-year contract with the with the San Francisco 49ers, according to Newsday's Kim Jones.

Feliciano started 15 games for New York in 2022 and now heads to his fourth team in nine seasons.

March 20, 2:11 p.m.

The Giants added some young secondary depth on Monday, agreeing to terms on a three-year deal with former Duke cornerback Leonard Johnson, according to KPRC Houston's Aaron Wilson.

Johnson, 24, tore his ACL while preparing for the 2022 NFL Draft and was not selected.

Listed by Duke at 6-foot-1, 190 pounds, Johnson recorded six interceptions, three forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries during his tenure with the Blue Devils.

Johnson had a workout with the Giants earlier in the day, so the team is clearly convinced that he’s recovered from his injury.

March 18, 1:30 p.m.

Former Los Angeles Rams defensive lineman A'Shawn Robinson is scheduled for a Monday visit with the Giants, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport.

"The veteran could beef up a NYG DL that already includes Leonard Williams and Dexter Lawrence, among others," Rapoport wrote on Twitter.

The 6-foot-4, 330-pound Robinson -- who turns 28 on Tuesday -- totaled 293 tackles (20 for loss), seven sacks (20 quarterback hits) and five forced fumbles (three recoveries) while starting 61 of 93 regular-season games with the Rams (2020-22) -- including Los Angeles' Super Bowl LVI championship -- and Detroit Lions (2016-19).

As a seventh-year pro on the 2022 season with the Rams, Robinson made 42 tackles (two for loss) and had three quarterback hits in 10 games (all starts). He saw his season end Nov. 26 when Los Angeles put him on injured reserve due to a torn meniscus.

Originally, Detroit selected Robinson from Alabama with the No. 46 overall pick in the second round of the 2016 NFL Draft. He was a consensus All-American in 2015 and helped Alabama win the 2016 College Football Playoff National Championship.

March 17, 1:36 p.m.

The Giants' secondary is taking a hit, with Julian Love agreeing to terms with the Seattle Seahawks.

His deal is for $12 million over two years.

Love, whom the Giants had interest in re-signing, was one of Big Blue's best and most reliable players last season.

The 24-year-old spent the first four seasons of his career in New York after being selected in the fourth round of the 2019 NFL Draft.

He made $2.54 million last season in what was the last year of his rookie deal.

March 16, 4:40 p.m.

After agreeing on a one-year deal with Parris Campbell earlier in the day, the Giants are signing another wide receiver, and this time it’s a familiar face.

SNY NFL Insider Connor Hughes confirms the Giants are re-signing WR Darius Slayton.

Slayton's new deal is for two years, according to multiple reports.

Slayton, 26, has already put together a nice four-year run with the Giants, hauling in 170 passes for 2,554 yards and 15 touchdowns. The former fifth-round pick out of Auburn dazzled as a rookie with 740 yards and eight touchdowns in 2019, and he had another solid year in 2022 with 725 yards.

Since the start of free agency, the Giants have now added (or in this case, retained) weapons like Slayton, Campbell, and Darren Waller.

March 16, 2:54 p.m.

The Giants are retaining one of their own, bringing back outside linebacker Jihad Ward on a one-year deal, SNY NFL Insider Connor Hughes confirms.

Ward, 28, appeared in all 17 games for the Giants last season, making 11 starts. The University of Illinois product recorded 43 total tackles, including 3.0 sacks and seven tackles for loss during his first season in New York.

March 16, 1:20 p.m.

The Giants have given Daniel Jones another weapon, with SNY NFL Insider Connor Hughes confirming that former Colts WR Parris Campbell has agreed to a one-year deal.

NFL Network's Mike Garafolo reports the deal is worth $3 million.

Campbell, 25, was a second-round pick of the Colts out of Ohio State in 2019. The 6-foot receiver is coming off his most productive pro season, catching 63 passes for 623 yards and three touchdowns.

He's also dealt with a number of injuries throughout his career, including foot and knee issues, but he played all 17 games this past season.

March 13, 4:52 p.m.

The Giants have addressed their defensive line depth, agreeing to terms with veteran Rakeem Nunez-Roches.

Art Stapleton of NJ.com reports that it will be a three-year deal for the 29-year-old Southern Miss product.

Nunez-Roches has played 102 games with 38 starts over the course of his career with the Kansas City Chiefs and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. In total, he has 3.5 career sacks with 14 tackles for loss.

March 13, 1:25 p.m.

The Giants are among three teams that have shown preliminary interest in Jacksonville Jaguars CB Tre Herndon, according to CBS Sports' Josina Anderson.

The Atlanta Falcons and San Francisco 49ers are the other teams looking into acquiring Herndon, as Anderson reports that he will not return to the Jags. He made about $1.2 million last season and is currently an unrestricted free agent.

The 27-year-old went undrafted in the 2018 NFL Draft out of Vanderbilt and has amassed 197 combined tackles (155 solo), three interceptions, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery in 67 career games (30 starts). Herndon started 14 games in 2019 and 12 games in 2020, but only started three in 2021 (nine games played) and just one last season (15 games played).

Meanwhile, the Giants have lost a valuable piece of their O-Line unit, with NFL Network's Mike Garafolo reporting that Nick Gates is heading to the Washington Commanders on a three-year deal.

Gates started 29 games for the Giants over the last four seasons, and worked his way back from a a brutal left fibula and tibia injury in 2021 to return to the field the next season.

March 13, 8:14 a.m.

The Giants have come to terms with punter Jamie Gillan on a two-year extension worth $4 million, reports Tom Pelissero of NFL Network.

The deal has an additional $1 million in potential incentives.

Gillan, a 25-year-old native of Scotland, started all 17 regular season games for the Giants in 2022-23, averaging 46.8 yards per punt (a long of 69) with a 12.2 percent touchback percentage.

Before joining Big Blue, Gillan spent the first three seasons of his career with the Cleveland Browns.