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New York Giants Shuffle Around Punter Position

By Kenneth Teape

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The New York Giants made the first of plenty of tough decisions leading up to Saturday’s deadline for the 53-man roster. This one included fan favorite and long time punter Steve Weatherford. The Giants decided to release the 10-year veteran today as they work towards cutting their roster down to 53-men for the regular season. In his place, the Giants acquired Brad Wing from the Pittsburgh Steelers for a conditional seventh round pick in 2016.

This was a pure cost cutting move for the Giants, as Weatherford was counting a lot more towards the cap than his performance matched up to. For this season, the Giants saved $1.325 million by cutting Weatherford, but that number drops to $815,000 when accounting for Wing. He was also set to make $2.325 million in 2016, but none of that was guaranteed so the Giants will save that as well.

From that standpoint, it is hard to argue against the Giants decision to move on from Weatherford. They just couldn’t afford to pay a player that much money whose effectiveness was waning in recent seasons. The 32-year old Weatherford battled both injuries and special teams coach Tom Quinn last season, and his performance dropped off in the process.

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Weatherford also struggled at times this preseason, as he was in a true training camp battle with Robert Malone before he was released as part of first cuts. But, head coach Tom Coughlin made it clear that Weatherford was not guaranteed a roster spot just because Malone was gone, and that he was battling against the waiver wire as well.

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I guess you could add trade market into that as well, since that is how the Giants acquired Weatherford’s replacement in Wing. In Wing, the Giants have a younger, cheaper option, which was the main end goal of this transaction. The Giants just couldn’t afford to pay an aging veteran that kind of money when there are other holes on the roster that need to be filled.

Weatherford will be greatly missed. He was respected in the locker room, and despite being a punter was a fan favorite because of the charity work he did and how visible he was on social media. He was arguably the most recognizable punter in the NFL as he routinely appeared on the covers of fitness magazines, and was known on HBO’s Hard Knocks when he was with the New York Jets as the guy who ordered shake weights for the team.

The Giants will undoubtedly miss the veteran leadership that Weatherford provides, and is another sign of the changing times from the Giants’ Super Bowl victory just four years ago. With Weatherford now looking for another job, only eight Giants remain from that Super Bowl 46 team that defeated the New England Patriots.

Next: 5 Standouts From Preseason Finale

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