News, Notes & Anecdotes from the Giants’ off day (10/14)

Big Blue thoughts: 

– The Giants placed wideout Victor Cruz and cornerback Trumaine McBride on injured reserve (IR) today and signed veteran wideout Kevin Ogletree and cornerback Chandler Fenner to replace them on the roster.  

– Big Blue also released wide receiver Travis Harvey from their practice squad, while cornerback Bennett Jackson (knee) has been placed on practice squad/injured.

– Three players were signed to their practice squad: wide receiver Chris Harper, cornerback Victor Hampton and linebacker Carlos Fields.

Quick blurb on today’s main transactions: 

Cruz and McBride were both injured Sunday in Philadelphia and underwent surgery yesterday. Cruz’s torn patellar tendon was repaired by team physician Russell Warren at the Hospital for Special Surgery in Manhattan. McBride, who had been the nickel corner since Walter Thurmond was injured in Week 2, had surgery to repair a fractured thumb. The operation was performed by Dr. Robert Hotchkiss at the Hospital for Special Surgery.

Ogletree, 6-1 and 198 pounds, is a six-year veteran who spent his first four seasons with the Dallas Cowboys, whom the Giants play Sunday in AT&T Stadium. He has played in 62 regular-season games with four starts. His career totals include 78 receptions for 999 yards (12.8-yard average) and six touchdowns. In five games against the Giants, Ogletree caught 18 passes for 143 yards and two scores, all career-high totals against an opponent. He scored both of those touchdowns in the Cowboy’s season-opening victory against the Giants on Sept. 5, 2012, when he had eight catches for 114 yards.

In 2013, Ogletree played in 16 games – four with one start for Tampa Bay and 12 with one start for Detroit. He totaled 21 catches for 269 yards and two touchdowns, one for each team. Ogletree was listed as the Lions’ No. 3 receiver throughout the preseason. But he was inactive for the first two regular-season games and was released on Sept. 20, a day before Detroit’s Week 3 game vs. Green Bay. Ogletree, a native of Queens, entered the NFL in 2009 as an undrafted free agent with the Cowboys out of the University of Virginia. In his first three seasons, he caught 25 passes. But in 2012, Ogletree played in 15 games and had career-high totals of 32 catches for 436 yards and four touchdowns. He was signed as a free agent by Tampa Bay on March 14, 2013. The Bucs released him on Oct. 1 and the Lions signed him two days later. Ogletree had two receptions for 29 yards in the Giants’ victory in Detroit last Dec. 22.

Fenner, 6 feet and 200 pounds, is on the roster for the second time this season. He was signed off the practice squad on Oct. 4, and made his NFL debut on special teams the following day in the Giants’ victory over Atlanta. He was waived the following day. Fenner first joined the Giants on Aug. 1. He was first waived on Aug. 30 and signed to the practice squad the following day.

Fenner spent the 2013 season on the Seattle Seahawks’ injured reserve list with a knee injury. He was waived by the Seahawks on July 29. Fenner entered the NFL as a rookie free agent with the Kansas City Chiefs in 2012 out of Holy Cross. He had six tackles in the preseason – including five in a game vs. Green Bay – before being waived by the Chiefs in the final roster cutdown. Fenner was signed to Seattle’s practice squad on Dec. 6, 2012.