Giants news, 11/7: Quadree Henderson cut an odd one, more

Good morning, New York Giants fans! Let’s check your headlines one day after the 1-7 Giants returned to work for the second half of the season.

Quadree Henderson cut hard to understand

Waiving kick returner Quadree Henderson to make room on the 53-man roster for defensive lineman R.J. McIntosh seems like an odd move for the Giants.

After using Kaelin Clay, Stacy Coley, Cody Latimer, Jawill Davis and Odell Beckham Jr. to return kickoffs and punts the Giants promoted Henderson, an undrafted rookie, from their practice squad to the active roster two games ago. The 22-year-old averaged 7.8 yards on six punt returns and 22.4 yards on five kickoff returns and seemed to have finally settled the team’s return situation.

Waiving a young player who appeared to be playing his way into a role on the team seems a curious decision.

Without Henderson, kick return duties figure to return to Jawill Davis now that he is back from a concussion. Davis has averaged 24.4 yards on seven returns. Perhaps Davis will also return punts, since the 1-7 Giants would seem unlikely to want to expose Beckham to that duty with nothing really on the line. He has yet to return a punt this season.

The Giants like Davis, also an undrafted rookie, and he has shown potential on kickoff return. Still, hard to fathom why they waived a young, exciting return man like Henderson. Perhaps, if he clears waivers, he ends up back on the team’s practice squad.

Saquon Barkley: Todd Gurley is the MVP

Asked about new Giants offensive lineman Jamon Brown, the Giants’ rookie running back ended up gushing about Todd Gurley, the running back Brown used to block for with the Los Angeles Rams. Barkley called him “the MVP of the league.”

“I watch film on Todd Gurley, I love the way he plays. He’s an all-purpose back and a threat any time he touches the ball, he runs physical and runs right in between tackles,” Barkley said. “Definitely, I would be wrong if I don’t go and pick his [Brown’s] brain and go ask that guy, what do you see that Todd did or what made Todd exceptional, and the reason he is the player he is today.

“That’s something that I want to learn from him because I want to compete, and I want to be better than Todd one day. I know he has the same mindset, all running backs have the same mindset in the league, that’s just the way it operates in this league, and how it operates as competitors.”

Around the Inter-Google

How to fix the Giants: Former NFL executives share their thoughts on the rebuild – The Athletic
The Athletic enlisted former NFL general manager Charley Casserly, former Packers VP of player finance Andrew Brandt and Overthecap.com Jason Fitzgerald for their advice.

Niners QB Mullens to keep starting role against Giants
After his stunning debut with the San Francisco 49ers, Nick Mullens will get another chance to impress at quarterback.

Landon Collins: Contract extension talks with Giants have not started yet | What he leared at NFL trade deadline | NJ.com
Landon Collins is a free agent after 2018 season. Giants didn't trade him, but Collins learned something about NFL business at trade deadline.

Kyle Lauletta still deserves his shot to start for the Giants
Kyle Lauletta deserves a second chance to prove if he can be a starting quarterback in the NFL. It won’t come Monday night against the 49ers. But should Eli...