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Tuesday morning has already proved to be a busy one for the New York Giants.
The team announced a quartet of roster moves before practice got going, highlighted by the return of linebacker Blake Martinez and the retirement of Todd Davis.
Roster Updates: LB Blake Martinez and DB Joshua Kalu have been activated. WR Derrick Dillon has been placed on the Reserve/Injured list and LB Todd Davis has been placed on the Reserve/Retired list.
— New York Giants (@Giants) August 3, 2021
The return of Martinez is welcome news for the Giants’ defense. Martinez provided both a very reliable presence in the middle — racking up 151 total tackles to go with 3.0 sacks — as well as a keen football mind to help execute Patrick Graham’s various defensive schemes.
The retirement of Davis certainly comes as a surprise, however. The 29-year old veteran linebacker was added to the roster just three days earlier when the Giants signed him on July 31st. While not a game-changing starter, it was expected that Davis would provide solid depth and competition for the Giants’ linebacker group.
We don’t yet know if there are any specific reasons for Davis’ retirement so soon after signing his contract, Hopefully all is well with Davis and his family, but this does serve as a corresponding roster move for the return of Martinez.