“Preston Parker, for the majority of the time he was here, was a very tough, physical football player who made plays when called upon”, Coughlin said. He can’t wait around for players who keep making the same mistakes. “That hadn’t been the case so far this year”.
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But when Coughlin was later asked if the release of Parker was at least in part to send a statement to his struggling team, Coughlin paused and then said “I’ll leave that up to you”. With Cruz due back soon, the Giants must figure they can patch together the slot position until Week 4.
In all phases of the ball the Giants could use improvement so they must feel as if the newly signed Kendrick Ellis who will be taking Parker’s roster spot could help more than he can.
Parker, who had five catches for 43 yards through two games, also had three drops, all on third down, in the Giants’ season-opening loss to the Cowboys.
Ellis was signed as a free agent by the Giants in the offseason and was among the team’s final cuts in training camp.
In that game, the Redskins’ two-headed rushing attack of Alfred Morris and rookie Matt Jones broke out for 182 yards on the ground, while quarterback Kirk Cousins completed 23 of 27 passes for 203 yards and a touchdown. He even made seven starts as the Giants’ slot receiver, filling in for the injured Cruz. However, it is now a calf injury holding him back.
The team is not lacking talent at all when it comes to wide receivers, having Odell Beckham Jr, Rueben Randle, Dwayne Harris, and Geremy Davis.
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Meanwhile, Coughlin said linebacker Jon Beason (knee), defensive tackle Cullen Jenkins (hamstring) and right guard Geoff Schwartz (illness) will all participate on Tuesday.
