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[UPDATED 4:30 p.m.] The Giants also made a second pair of moves on Monday. The waived safety Mike Basile, a rookie undrafted free agent just signed two weeks ago, and added linebacker Warren Long.
Long, 5-foot-11 and 212 pounds, joined the Seattle Seahawks on May 4 as an undrafted rookie from Northwestern. He was waived on Aug. 11. Long had two solo tackles in Seattle’s preseason opener vs. Indianapolis.
Long was a running back his first three seasons (2013-15) at Northwestern. He was injured on his first carry in 2016, and missed the rest of the season. The following offseason, he became a linebacker. Playing primarily as a backup and special teamer, Long had 21 tackles (14 solo), three tackles for losses and 1.0 sack.
The New York Giants have reportedly waived linebacker Thurston Armbrister with an injury designation.
Armbrister has been dealing with a hamstring injury since early in training camp and hasn’t practiced since the beginning of August.
The #Giants have waived/injured linebacker Thurston Armbrister, source said. He missed their last preseason game with an injury.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) August 20, 2018
With small injuries piling up elsewhere on the roster, the team couldn’t afford to wait any longer for Armbrister to get back on the field.
After waiving Armbrister, the team immediately put the open roster spot to use, signing running back Jhurell Pressley.
Looks like RB Jhurell Pressley has been added to take Armbrister’s spot. Had to figure a RB was coming this week with Barkley and Simmons injured.
— Dan Duggan (@DDuggan21) August 20, 2018
Pressley was originally signed by the Minnesota Vikings as an undrafted free agent in 2016, and has bounced around the league since. He has spent time on the Vikings, Green Bay Packers, Atlanta Falcons, and Jacksonville Jaguars since coming in to the league.
Pressley was regarded as a productive and athletic “change of pace” running back coming out of college, with remarkable speed and quickness. Pressley recorded 1,990 yards (7.85 yards per carry) and 23 touchdowns over his last two seasons at New Mexico, and was timed at 4.38 seconds in the 40-yard dash, 6.92 in the 3-cone drill and 4.06 in the short shuttle at New Mexico’s pro day.
The Giants are short on running backs with Saquon Barkley nursing a strained hamstring and Jalen Simmons in the concussion protocol. The team used receiver Kalif Raymond as a running back in practice Sunday afternoon, so adding a running back isn’t a surprising move. We’ll have to see if Pressley can capitalize on his opportunity.