East Rutherford, NJ – The New York Giants placed cornerback Terrell Thomas and defensive tackle Shaun Rogers on injured reserve Friday, while trimming the roster down to the required 53-man limit by waiving or releasing 18 players that included running back D.J. Ware.
Thomas, a starter in 31 of the Giants' 32 regular-season games between the 2009 and 2010 seasons, was attempting to come back from a torn ACL that sidelined him for all of last year's Super Bowl-winning campaign but reinjured the same knee during training camp. The fifth-year pro will miss this entire season as well, as he was not declared as an eligible player to return under the revised IR rule that just went into effect.
The 2008 second-round pick had five interceptions in both 2009 and 2010, while amassing 101 tackles and four forced fumbles in the last of those years.
Rogers, an 11-year veteran who made two straight Pro Bowls with Detroit from 2004-05 and another with Cleveland in 2008, was signed as a free agent in the offseason after spending last season with New Orleans. The 33-year-old had been sidelined throughout the preseason with a blood clot in his leg.
Ware had been with New York since the 2007 and had his most productive season last year, rushing for a career-best 163 yards and adding 27 catches for 170 yards. He was edged out by Andre Brown and Da'Rel Scott to stay as the team's third running back.
The Giants also waived linebacker Greg Jones, a sixth-round pick in 2011 who appeared in all 16 games and started five as a rookie last season, along with wide receivers David Douglas and Dan DePalma, defensive ends Craig Marshall and Matt Broha, defensive tackle Dwayne Hendricks, linebacker Jake Muasau, tight end Larry Donnell, offensive lineman Matt McCants, Selvish Capers and Stephen Goodin and defensive back Laron Scott.
Four other vested veterans were released in addition to Ware: cornerback Dante Hughes, defensive tackle Marcus Thomas, wide receiver Isaiah Stanback and offensive lineman Chris White.
New York waived/injured cornerback Bruce Johnson and placed safety Tyler Sash on the reserve/suspended list as well. Sash will sit out the regular season's first four games after violating the NFL's policy on performance-enhancing substances.
The Giants open defense of their Super Bowl XLVI title Wednesday at home against NFC East rival Dallas.
Fox News First
Get all the stories you need-to-know from the most powerful name in news delivered first thing every morning to your inbox.
By entering your email and clicking the Subscribe button, you agree to the Fox News Privacy Policy and Terms of Use, and agree to receive content and promotional communications from Fox News. You understand that you can opt-out at any time.