The New York Giants cut veteran linebacker Jasper Brinkley on Monday, six days before their season opener against the Dallas Cowboys. They signed veteran quarterback Josh Johnson to take his spot on the roster.
Brinkley was in the running to start at middle linebacker for the Giants and was held out of Thursday night’s preseason finale against the New England Patriots along with the rest of the starting defense. Kelvin Sheppard is now likely to start for the Giants in Week 1 against the Cowboys.
Brinkley started nine games for the Giants last season. He was re-signed to a one-year deal this offseason that included $1.7 million guaranteed.
“It just came down to it’s a numbers game at this point. It came down to numbers,” Giants coach Ben McAdoo said. “We thank Jasper for everything he’s done for us. Coming in playing last year off short notice, he did a nice job for us. We wish him the best.”
The Giants had eight linebackers on their 53-man roster as of Monday morning. They had only two quarterbacks.
Johnson, 30, was released by the Baltimore Ravens over the weekend. The well-traveled quarterback hasn’t thrown a regular-season pass since 2011, but he’ll bring competition to the backup position.
His signing comes after McAdoo reiterated his support for backup Ryan Nassib. The coach also said he was “comfortable” carrying two quarterbacks on the roster. Nassib completed 41 percent of his passes and had five turnovers in four preseason games.
“I’m comfortable with two [quarterbacks],” McAdoo reiterated on Monday. “We decided there is one out there, Josh, that we thought could come in and create some competition to get them both better.”
Johnson brings experience and a more diverse skill set than any of the Giants’ other backup quarterbacks. Starter Eli Manning and Nassib are on the active roster. Logan Thomas is on the practice squad.
“[Johnson] has good rhythm in his body,” McAdoo said. “He’s been trained in a version of the system. He plays with his cleats in the ground, has a natural throwing motion, and has some good experience.”
Nassib is expected to remain the Giants’ backup, at least in the short term. They hope they’ll only need Manning come game day.
Manning has never missed a start in his 12-year career.
At linebacker, the Giants won’t be so reliant on one individual at middle linebacker. They’re expected to do plenty of rotating, even if Sheppard is expected to start in their base defense.
“It depends on what package you’re in,” McAdoo said. “We can throw a variety of linebackers out there. I think Kelvin has definitely earned an opportunity. He showed well in the preseason game and has done well in practice. He’s a great communicator and we’re excited to have him here.”
Rookie B.J. Goodson, Keenan Robinson, Mark Herzlich and J.T. Thomas are some of the Giants’ other options at middle linebacker.
