Giants work out 15 players — who they are

New York Giants GM Joe Schoen said on Wednesday that with 53-man rosters and 17-man practice squads set around the NFL, “there’s not a lot” of talent left on the street. That isn’t stopping the Giants from trying to find some.

The Giants held a large workout of 15 players on Thursday, focused mostly on cornerbacks who could eventually be practice squad additions, and potential punt returners should Gunner Olszewski (ankle) not be ready for the Giants’ Sept. 8 season-opening game against the Minnesota Vikings.

Here is a quick look at each of the players the Giants worked out:

S Al Blades Jr. — Blades has NFL bloodlines. His father, the late Al Blades, played briefly for the San Francisco 49ers in 2001. He is the nephew of former Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Brian Blades and former Detroit Lions safety Bennie Blades, and cousin of H. B. Blades, who played 4 seasons for the Washington Redskins. An undrafted free agent, Blades was recently released by the New York Jets.

WR Kaden Davis — A zero-star recruit who started his collegiate career at a community college and eventually played for Northwest Missouri State. An undrafted free agent, he has been with the Denver Broncos, Arizona Cardinals and Detroit Lions since 2022. Davis caught five passes for 96 yards (19.2 yards per reception) and returned one kickoff 19 yards during preseason with the Lions.

WR Alex Erickson — The 31-year-old Erickson has eight years of NFL experience. He has vast experience as a returner, with a 24.8 yard average on 110 kickoff returns and an 8.0 yard averaged on 110 punt returns. Erickson has 112 career receptions. Erickson played eight games for the Washington Commanders in 2023.

CB Eric Garror — A 5-foot-8, 174-pound defensive back, Garror played in 12 games for the Tennessee Titans last season after making the team as an undrafted free agent. Garror played 351 defensive snaps. That, of course, means he played for Giants defensive coordinator Shane Bowen. Garror also returned 21 punts for an average of 7.6 yards. He was waived this week by the Titans.

CB D.J. James — A sixth-round pick by the Seattle Seahawks in the 2024 NFL Draft, the 6-foot, 170-pound James did not make the Seattle roster.

Here is a scouting report from NFL.com:

A thin frame combined with questionable long speed could push James inside, where his pattern-matching and short-area athleticism should work to his advantage. James plays with excellent body control and disciplined footwork and is rarely out of position in coverage. He’s instinctive with short-area twitch but has generated a little less ball production than expected for his traits. Both zone and man coverage comes naturally, but bigger bodies can give him trouble. Below-average run support will be targeted by play-callers, so that could come into consideration for some teams. James has the athleticism and coverage skills to become a starting nickel within a couple of years.

CB Kyu Blue Kelly — A fifth-round draft pick by the Baltimore Ravens in 2023, Kelly was waived at the end of the preseason. He ended up appearing in eight total games for a combined three teams — the Green Bay Packers, Seattle Seahawks, and Washington Commanders. Kelly was released this week by the Commanders.

CB Jason Maitre — An undrafted free agent from Wisconsin who was cut by the Miami Dolphins.

CB Zech McPhearrson — A 2021 fourth-round pick by the Philadelphia Eagles, the 5-foot-11, 191-pound McPhearrson played in 33 games over two seasons, but started only once.

QB Chris Oladukun — Oladukun entered the league as an undrafted free agent in 2022, but was waived by the Pittsburgh Steelers. He spent most of the last two seasons on the practice squad of the Kansas City Chiefs.

LB Andrew Parker — An undrafted rookie free agent linebacker out of Appalachia State who was waived by the Jacksonville Jaguars.

OT Julian Pearl — A 6-foot-6, 325-pound offensive tackle out of Illinois, Pearl signed with the Baltimore Ravens after going undrafted. He was waived this week.

NFL.com says:

Pearl is still learning the position and appears to have room for physical growth, as well. The athletic pieces are in place, but he’s lacking the functional upper-body strength to withstand NFL challenges, and that must be corrected before he’s ready for any snaps. Pearl is an athletic move blocker capable of creating creases in space, but the pass protection needs a big upgrade for him to develop into an NFL swing tackle.

LB Yvandy Rigby — An undrafted free agent out of Temple who was waived by the Baltimore Ravens. Rigby had 18 tackles in three preseason games.

WR David Wallis — An undrafted rookie out of Division III Randolph-Macon College, Wallis earned an opportunity this summer with the New England Patriots after a rookie minicamp tryout. He got waived, but showed potential as a punt returner.

CB Damarion Williams — A fourth-round draft pick by the Baltimore Ravens in 2022. He played 226 snaps over 14 games as a rookie, but appeared in only one game last season. Williams if 5-foot-10, 180 pounds.

CB A.J. Woods — An undrafted free agent out of Pitt who was released by the Washington Commanders.