Ereck Flowers to be released by Giants
Giants offensive tackle Ereck Flowers looks on following the preseason opener against the Browns at MetLife Stadium on Aug. 9. Credit: Daniel De Mato
The bloom has long been off Ereck Flowers. Now Ereck Flowers will be off the Giants’ roster.
The team told the fourth-year tackle and former first-round pick on Monday that they will release him on Tuesday unless they can find a trading partner, Giants coach Pat Shurmur said. Given Flowers’ inability to hold o nto his own job with the Giants – he was benched after two games this year – and his guaranteed $2.4 million in salary for this season, such a swap seems highly unlikely.
Flowers was not on the field with the Giants for Monday’s practice.
“I think it’s just kind of run its course," Shurmur said of Flowers’ tenure. "I appreciate Ereck’s efforts. We just wish him the best. Sometimes a change of scenery is good for a person.”
Flowers, 24, had a promising first season at left tackle where he showed toughness and grit but suffered from poor mechanics. Those never improved over the next few seasons. The Giants signed Nate Solder as their left tackle during this offseason and moved Flowers to the right side in the hopes that he would stabilize his career there. After two games, it was clear he had not. He was replaced in Week 3 by Chad Wheeler.
The Giants do not have any other tackles on their active roster besides their starters, Solder and Wheeler. They could promote Brian Mihalik from the practice squad to take Flowers' spot on the 53-man roster. Mihalik is a converted defensive lineman and Shurmur worked with him when he was a rookie with the Eagles as a seventh-round pick in 2015. He played in 15 games with two starts for the Lions in 2017.
Flowers, taken ninth overall in 2015, is the latest Jerry Reese draft pick to be jettisoned by the team. Odell Beckham Jr., Eli Apple and Evan Engram are the only first-round picks by the former general manager who remain with the Giants.
Notes & quotes: The Giants are likely to add a just-in-case kicker to their practice squad on Tuesday after Aldrick Rosas injured his quad in the game on Sunday. The second-year kicker is a perfect 11-for-11 on field goal attempts and on Sunday kicked a career-long 53-yarder. “We’re hopeful that he’ll be back, but I think it’s worthy of talking about,” Shurmur said ... The Giants have until Wednesday night to add a player to their roster to be available for Thursday’s game … Shurmur said TE Evan Engram (knee) “looks like he has a shot to make it this week” after missing three games with a sprained MCL. Shurmur also said he is “hopeful” about LB Olivier Vernon (ankle), although he’s expressed similar optimism about the pass-rusher for the past two weeks.
Tom Rock began covering sports for Newsday in 1996 and became its NFL columnist in 2022. He previously was Newsday's Giants beat writer beginning in 2008.
