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 03/27/2015 NFL Note - New York Giants Cruz, Victor
WR Victor Cruz won't be rushed back from a torn patellar tendon and
subsequent surgery last October.
Giants head coach Tom Coughlin said Wednesday the timetable with
Cruz is highly conservative, and the team is going to count on him
only after seeing him back on the field.
While Cruz is running straight ahead at the team facility as part of
his rehab and Coughlin said he looks "good and light," the Giants
are not sure he will be on the field for the regular-season opener
in September, 11 months after he was hurt.
"I think he'll be the player he was, and hopefully better," Coughlin
said. "As far as when, I would be careful. Hopefully, it's the first
(regular-season) game. But if it isn't, we've done that before. We
just went through it."
General manager Jerry Reese said last month that Cruz is considered
a bonus entering 2015. The Giants view Odell Beckham Jr., the 12th
overall pick in 2014 and Offensive Rookie of the Year, as the No. 1
receiver in Ben McAdoo's offense. Rueben Randle would start opposite
Beckham if Cruz is not back.
Cruz's primary asset as a slot receiver was explosive speed and
change-of-direction agility. If he doesn't prove the same type of
explosion in offseason workouts, the Giants will not be surprised.
The team is tempering expectations and not ruling out a return after
the start of the regular season.
"You're not just going to throw him to the wind," Coughlin said.
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NFL Note - Minnesota Vikings Aiyegbusi, Babatunde
OL Babatunde Aiyegbusi, a 6-foot-9, 351-pound offensive lineman from
Poland, was signed by the Vikings Thursday (March 26).
Aiyegbusi, 27, has played in Europe the past two years -- helping
the Wroclaw Giants win the championship in the Polish American
Football League and the Dresden Monarchs advance to the semifinals
of the German Football League in 2014. He did not play college
football.
The native of Olesnica, Poland, would be the fifth Polish-born
player to play in the NFL. The others: kicker Rich Szaro (1975-79),
kicker Chester Marcol (1972-80), defensive tackle Jason Maniecki
(1996-98) and kicker Sebastian Janikowski (2000-present).
Aiyegbusi participated in a pro day at the University of Texas-San
Antonio on Monday and tried out for the Vikings on Wednesday.
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NFL Note - * Free Agents Martin, Jonathan
T Jonathan Martin was waived by the 49ers Thursday (March 26), one
year after San Francisco traded for him in the aftermath of a
bullying incident in Miami.
The 6-foot-5, 312-pound Martin played in 15 games and started nine
last season for the 49ers, who acquired him from the Dolphins last
March for a 2015 seventh-round draft pick.
If none of the other 31 teams in the NFL claim Martin off waivers,
he would become a free agent.
The 25-year-old Martin was drafted in the second round by the
Dolphins in 2012 out of Stanford, where he played under former
Cardinal and 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh.
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NFL Note - New England Patriots Hightower, Dont'a
LB Dont'a Hightower reportedly will be out six to seven months after
undergoing surgery to repair a torn right labrum. Hightower had
surgery Feb. 10, according to the Boston Globe.
The injury kept Hightower out in Week 14 against the San Diego
Chargers, but he returned to play the rest of the season -- other
than an insignificant Week 17 game against the Buffalo Bills.
Hightower had 33 tackles and 1.5 sacks while playing with the
injury, according to the Globe.
Hightower is the fourth Patriot to undergo surgery this offseason.
Right tackle Sebastian Vollmer also had a torn labrum repaired,
right guard Ryan Wendell underwent shoulder surgery as well, and
defensive tackle Chris Jones had a torn calf muscle fixed.
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NFL Note - Cincinnati Bengals Sims, Pat
DT Pat Sims, who spent the last two seasons with the Oakland
Raiders, returned to the Cincinnati Bengals on Thursday (March 26).
A third-round pick by the Bengals in 2008, Sims played his first
five seasons in Cincinnati before signing with the Raiders in 2013.
He signed another one-year deal with Oakland last year.
The Bengals did not release terms of his contract, but the
Cincinnati Enquirer reported it is a one-year deal for the veteran
minimum of $870,000.
In 92 games, including 41 starts, Sims has 264 tackles, seven sacks
and one interception.
"Pat was a good player for us here and we think he can fill a role
for us this year," Bengals defensive line coach Jay Hayes said. "He
lends a physical dimension. He's a very aggressive run player, and
we're happy to have him back."
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NFL Note - Pittsburgh Steelers Heyward-Bey, Darrius
WR Darrius Heyward-Bey was re-signed by the Steelers, signing a
one-year deal on Thursday (March 26).
Heyward-Bey caught three passes in 16 games with the Steelers last
season and is likely to be the team's fourth or fifth wide receiver,
contributing mostly to special teams.
Heyward-Bey, the seventh overall pick in 2009, has played six
seasons with the Raiders, Colts and Steelers.
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NFL Note - * Free Agents Anderson, Justin
LB Justin Anderson was waived by the Vikings Thursday (March 26).
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NFL Note - * Free Agents McCray, Jordan
G Jordan McCray was waived by the Vikings Thursday (March 26).
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NFL Note - Miami Dolphins Shelby, Derrick
DT Derrick Shelby, tendered as a restricted free agent by the
Dolphins at $2.356 million with a second-round pick as compensation,
signed his tender Thursday (March 26).
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NFL Note - Tampa Bay Buccaneers Lansanah, Danny
LB Danny Lansanah, tendered as an exclusive-rights free agent by the
Buccaneers, signed his tender Thursday (March 26).
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