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Packers trade for back
Giants yield Grant for pick
By BOB McGINN
bmcginn@journalsentinel.com
Posted: Sept. 1, 2007
Green Bay - Ryan Grant, a nondescript third-year player without regular-season experience, is the newest addition to the Green Bay Packers' menagerie of running backs.
On Saturday, the Packers acquired Grant in a trade with the New York Giants for an undisclosed draft choice. Conditional or not, the pick is presumed to be in the seventh round, a choice the Giants hoped to recoup after trading their own to Kansas City in May.
Grant, 6 feet 1 inch and 222 pounds, told a reporter in the Giants' locker room Friday that club officials had informed him he had the team made. At some point, the Packers declared interest and the deal was made. The Giants kept four backs.
"The Packers must have seen something they liked in the guy," a personnel director for an NFC team said Saturday night. "You're not talking about a guy who will hit you with the 'wow' factor. I think you're talking about a stopgap more than anything."
At this stage, the Packers just needed a healthy body at the position. Grant didn't miss a practice this summer.
Noah Herron underwent arthroscopic surgery on his left knee Saturday for cartilage damage that he suffered Thursday night in Tennessee. Herron is out of the Philadelphia opener and, according to a source, is expected to miss no more than three weeks.
Offensive coordinator Joe Philbin said Brandon Jackson (concussion) and Vernand Morency (knee) still must be cleared by doctors to face the Eagles. The other healthy back is DeShawn Wynn.
Grant, 24, carried 18 times for 90 yards (5.0-yard average) and one touchdown in exhibition games. He also caught one pass for 18 yards and returned a kickoff for 27. In the Giants' exhibition finale Thursday, he made several tackles on special teams.
A four-year player at Notre Dame, Grant wasn't drafted and signed with the Giants in May 2005 ($15,000 bonus). He was let go on the final cut in '05 after carrying just twice for minus-2 yards and catching one pass for 12.
After spending his entire rookie season on the Giants' practice squad, Grant signed a two-year deal ($5,000 bonus) with New York in January 2006. The final year of that contract, with a $310,000 base salary, now reverts to Green Bay.
In spring 2006, Grant suffered a massive cut on his left wrist in an incident at a New York nightclub that required surgery. He spent that season on the non-football injury list, working out on his own at a nearby facility.
"You're talking about a stopgap, on the same scale as Wynn," a scout for another NFC team said. "He's a good, tough runner but he's not a nifty guy. I think he's got good hands."
Grant ran 40 yards in an eye-catching 4.43 seconds at the '05 NFL combine, had a 33 1/2-inch vertical jump and a 9-7 broad jump, bench-pressed 225 pounds 17 times and scored 29 on the Wonderlic intelligence test.
"He definitely doesn't play like a 4.43," one scout said. "Maybe I'm missing something, but everything I saw of him was just OK. Quick enough, but not overly quick. Fast enough, but not exciting fast. He can drop his shoulder and get another yard or two, but he's not going to run anybody over."
Grant started all 13 games for Notre Dame in 2002, gaining 1,085 yards. He lost his job to Julius Jones in mid-'03 and finished with 567, then backed up Darius Walker in '04 and gained 515.
In all, he rushed 560 times for 2,277 yards (4.07) and 18 touchdowns.
One scout brought up P.J. Pope, a running back that the Packers had high hopes for before waiving him Aug. 24. Pope had a knee scope Aug. 6.
"Was he hurt that bad?" the scout said. "Because he's definitely better than this guy. Pope is pretty good. He's got more everything. Strength, vision.
"There's some guys on the street that have better reps (reputations) than Grant."
Neither scout said Grant had the ability to play fullback, where Korey Hall is the only one on the roster.
Tom Silverstein of the Journal Sentinel staff contributed to this report.
Giants yield Grant for pick
By BOB McGINN
bmcginn@journalsentinel.com
Posted: Sept. 1, 2007
Green Bay - Ryan Grant, a nondescript third-year player without regular-season experience, is the newest addition to the Green Bay Packers' menagerie of running backs.
On Saturday, the Packers acquired Grant in a trade with the New York Giants for an undisclosed draft choice. Conditional or not, the pick is presumed to be in the seventh round, a choice the Giants hoped to recoup after trading their own to Kansas City in May.
Grant, 6 feet 1 inch and 222 pounds, told a reporter in the Giants' locker room Friday that club officials had informed him he had the team made. At some point, the Packers declared interest and the deal was made. The Giants kept four backs.
"The Packers must have seen something they liked in the guy," a personnel director for an NFC team said Saturday night. "You're not talking about a guy who will hit you with the 'wow' factor. I think you're talking about a stopgap more than anything."
At this stage, the Packers just needed a healthy body at the position. Grant didn't miss a practice this summer.
Noah Herron underwent arthroscopic surgery on his left knee Saturday for cartilage damage that he suffered Thursday night in Tennessee. Herron is out of the Philadelphia opener and, according to a source, is expected to miss no more than three weeks.
Offensive coordinator Joe Philbin said Brandon Jackson (concussion) and Vernand Morency (knee) still must be cleared by doctors to face the Eagles. The other healthy back is DeShawn Wynn.
Grant, 24, carried 18 times for 90 yards (5.0-yard average) and one touchdown in exhibition games. He also caught one pass for 18 yards and returned a kickoff for 27. In the Giants' exhibition finale Thursday, he made several tackles on special teams.
A four-year player at Notre Dame, Grant wasn't drafted and signed with the Giants in May 2005 ($15,000 bonus). He was let go on the final cut in '05 after carrying just twice for minus-2 yards and catching one pass for 12.
After spending his entire rookie season on the Giants' practice squad, Grant signed a two-year deal ($5,000 bonus) with New York in January 2006. The final year of that contract, with a $310,000 base salary, now reverts to Green Bay.
In spring 2006, Grant suffered a massive cut on his left wrist in an incident at a New York nightclub that required surgery. He spent that season on the non-football injury list, working out on his own at a nearby facility.
"You're talking about a stopgap, on the same scale as Wynn," a scout for another NFC team said. "He's a good, tough runner but he's not a nifty guy. I think he's got good hands."
Grant ran 40 yards in an eye-catching 4.43 seconds at the '05 NFL combine, had a 33 1/2-inch vertical jump and a 9-7 broad jump, bench-pressed 225 pounds 17 times and scored 29 on the Wonderlic intelligence test.
"He definitely doesn't play like a 4.43," one scout said. "Maybe I'm missing something, but everything I saw of him was just OK. Quick enough, but not overly quick. Fast enough, but not exciting fast. He can drop his shoulder and get another yard or two, but he's not going to run anybody over."
Grant started all 13 games for Notre Dame in 2002, gaining 1,085 yards. He lost his job to Julius Jones in mid-'03 and finished with 567, then backed up Darius Walker in '04 and gained 515.
In all, he rushed 560 times for 2,277 yards (4.07) and 18 touchdowns.
One scout brought up P.J. Pope, a running back that the Packers had high hopes for before waiving him Aug. 24. Pope had a knee scope Aug. 6.
"Was he hurt that bad?" the scout said. "Because he's definitely better than this guy. Pope is pretty good. He's got more everything. Strength, vision.
"There's some guys on the street that have better reps (reputations) than Grant."
Neither scout said Grant had the ability to play fullback, where Korey Hall is the only one on the roster.
Tom Silverstein of the Journal Sentinel staff contributed to this report.
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