Giants part ways with Cruz and Jennings

On Monday, the New York Giants announced that they released wide receiver Victor Cruz and running back Rashad Jennings, thus clearing up a significant amount of salary-cap space. 

It appears that Victor Cruz's time in NY is over

Cruz, now 30 years old, had made his NFL debut in 2010 and quickly transformed into an elite receiver by the 2012 campaign. That year, the New Jersey native racked up 1092 receiving yards with 10 touchdown catches. However, his career began to diminish in 2014, as a torn patella tendon kept him out of action for two seasons. Cruz made his return to the gridiron in 2016, but had just 39 catches for 586 yards as he was stuck behind both Odell Beckham Jr. and Sterling Shepard on the team's depth chart. 

Cruz took a major pay cut to remain with the Giants last year, and it would not be unreasonable to hope that he is brought back at a reduced rate. Despite the injuries, Cruz still believes he has plenty to offer, saying "I think I have a lot of good football left ahead of me. I think there is still a lot of miles left on this body." 

By releasing Cruz, the Giants are saving roughly $10 million against the salary cap, and that money is expected to be used to replenish areas of weakness, such as running back or defensive end. 

New York has saved over $12 million by cutting Cruz (left) and Jennings (right)

For Rashad Jennings, the 31 year old averaged a mere 3.3 yards per carry in 2016, which was a far cry from his 4.4 ratio in 2015. The veteran, who had been in the third season of a four year, $14 million pact, was let go particularly due to his lackluster performance, as well as the emergence of Paul Perkins. 

Cutting Jennings will save New York about $2.5 million in cap space, and his return to Big Blue is certainly less likely than Victor Cruz. The team already has the aforementioned Perkins, in addition to Shane Vereen and Orleans Darkwa. It is also possible that the Giants aim higher and target Adrian Peterson, who has shown interest in joining New York. 

Overall, the Giants absolutely had to make both of these moves. While the loss of Cruz is a tough pill to swallow for the die-hard fans, the team is far better off with the young duo of Beckham Jr. and Shepard, and could use the money elsewhere on the roster. While the Giants could bring back the oft-injured veteran, his status seems up in the air after he posted this on Instagram following his transaction. 

With Jennings, he had looked off all season in 2016, and Perkins simply passed him on the pecking order. The Giants clearly had issues with their running game last year, and GM Jerry Reese will be actively surveying the market once free agency officially opens on March 9th.