Giants Rumors: Rueben Randle Wanted To Re-Sign
New York Giants Rumors: Rueben Randle, who signed with the rival Philadlephia Eagles as a free agent, would have liked to stay with the Giants if it was up to him.
New York Giants rumors have slowed down recently as the team had their OTA’s over the past two weeks. It was the first chance for the new coaching staff headed by Be McAdoo to evaluate the players on their roster and see the rookies in action for the first time.
There are a couple of holes that the Giants still have on the roster, as they could use a veteran presence at a couple of spots. They could fill those needs later in the summer as the evaluations continue, or hope that younger players step up and fill the roles left behind.
One of the positions that the Giants could use a veteran at is wide receiver. Behind superstar Odell Beckham Jr. there is very little to count on. Victor Cruz looks close to a return, but no one knows what he will bring to the table since he has been out since October 2014 with a torn patellar tendon and calf injury. Sterling Shepard was selected in the second round of the 2016 NFL Draft, and looks to have a bright future.
Dwayne Harris was pressed into duty last season, putting up career high numbers across the board after being mostly a special teams ace with the Dallas Cowboys previously in his career. Myles White had some cameos with the Giants last season, while it is a lot of unknowns behind him on the depth chart.
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The Giants could really use a veteran in the group, as Cruz and Harris are the only players with more than two years of experience at the position. They could have had a veteran in the group in Rueben Randle, whom the Giants allowed to leave as a free agent this offseason.
Randle was selected by the Giants in the second round of the 2012 NFL Draft out of LSU. He was coming off a season of inconsistencies, but still managed to reel in a career-high eight touchdown passes. Despite that, the Giants showed little interest in retaining him, and Randle signed with the Philadlphia Eagles on a one-year deal.
Had it been up to Randle, he would not have crossed into enemy lines and joined a former rival; he would have remained with the Giants. “I just moved on and accepted it for what it was. I would’ve liked to have stayed,” Randle said to Bart Hubbuch of the New York Post. Randle also added that he was disappointed in how things turned out, and said it was an unfortunate situation.
While retaining Randle on a one-year deal would have made some sense for the Giants, it also makes sense that they would let him walk. Randle was maddeningly inconsistent throughout his four years with the Giants, never fully taking advantage of the opportunities presented to him.
Randle had some bright spots, but was never able to put things together consistently. Too often we would see Randle run the wrong route or just look uninterested in the game as his head didn’t seem to always be in it.
But, if there was one thing that the Giants could appreciate with Randle, it was that he was durable. He didn’t miss a game in his Giants career, appearing in all 64 games. That kind of durability isn’t easy to find these days, but it also wasn’t enough to keep him around with Big Blue.
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Randle will be facing off with his former team in Week 9 in his first return to MetLife Stadium as a visitor and then Week 16 in a game that could have a lot of playoff implications. You can be sure Randle will have those games circled on his calendar as he wants to show his former team they made a mistake in releasing him.