New York Giants place Alex Tanney on non-football illness list, Tae Crowder on non-football injury list

The New York Giants have made moves involving their backup quarterback and seventh-round selection ahead of training camp practices.

The training camp period is commencing for the New York Giants, and it seems the team is already making a multitude of moves. According to Paul Schwartz of the New York Post, the Giants have placed backup quarterback Alex Tanney on the non-football illness list. They’ve additionally put linebacker and 2020 seventh-round draft pick Tae Crowder on the non-football injury list.

Both players will count towards the 90-man roster.

Giants put QB Alex Tanney on "declared non-football illness list. He counts on 90-man roster.

— Paul Schwartz (@NYPost_Schwartz) July 28, 2020

One more: Rookie LB Tae Crowder, aka Mr. Irrelevant, is on the non-football injury list.

— Paul Schwartz (@NYPost_Schwartz) July 28, 2020

The Giants’ decision to utilize this many guys on the roster at the start of training camp is an unusual move. Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, many clubs are going with an 80-man approach, which will make social distancing and other coronavirus-related protocols easier to follow.

Tanney may not make the active roster after spending much of the last two seasons with the team, a tenure in which he’s mainly served as an emergency backup. The veteran is currently one of five in the Giants quarterback room, a unit led by second-year player Daniel Jones.

Crowder happened to be this year’s Mr. Irrelevant, the title given to the final selection of the NFL Draft. The Giants chose him at No. 255 overall, making their bookend draft picks both individuals from the University of Georgia.

It’s unclear how much defensive playing time Crowder will receive in his inaugural pro campaign if he makes the team. But in the event that he’s on the active roster for the regular season, expect him to find the majority of his reps on special teams.