The New York Giants placed cornerback Terrell Thomas and defensive tackle Shaun Rogers on season-ending injured reserve Friday as the defending Super Bowl champions reduced their roster to 53 players.
Thomas reaggravated his twice-repaired right ACL early in training camp, and the cornerback will need more time to recover. He will miss a second straight year after spending last season on IR with a torn ACL suffered during the preseason.
That leaves Prince Amukamara as the starting cornerback opposite Corey Webster once Amukamara returns from a high-ankle sprain.
Coach Tom Coughlin had thought there might be a "ray of hope" that Rogers could play again this season after suffering a blood clot after the preseason opener.
The Giants also parted ways Friday with veteran running back D.J. Ware, injured cornerback Bruce Johnson, linebacker Greg Jones and wide receiver David Douglas.
The Giants' cuts also included defensive tackle Marcus Thomas, wide receiver Dan DePalma, cornerback Dante Hughes, wide receiver Isaiah Stanback, tight end Larry Donnell, defensive end Craig Marshall, linebacker Jake Muasau, defensive tackle Dwayne Hendricks, offensive lineman Matt McCants, defensive end Matt Broha, quarterback Ryan Perrilloux, cornerback Laron Scott, offensive lineman Stephen Goodin, offensive lineman Chris White and offensive lineman Selvish Capers.
The team also placed safety Tyler Sash on the suspended/reserve list for the next four games after he violated the NFL's policy on performance-enhancing substances.
"It's always difficult to release players that have been here and have really worked hard and have earned our respect and our admiration," Coughlin said in a release. "Those are guys like Dwayne Hendricks, who I have great respect for, and DePalma, who has worked hard for us for a couple of years and has done a good job. Isaiah Stanback is another guy who has done an outstanding job here and worked hard and really gained our respect."
The moves allowed the Giants to keep promising youngsters such as defensive ends Adrian Tracy and Adewale Ojomo and safety Will Hill.
"Greg Jones was a very difficult decision to make," Coughlin said. "Danny Ware was here for a while, and any time you have those relationships with people, it's tough to see them go. Fortunately, these are men and they understand that decisions have to be made."
The Giants open the season Wednesday night against the Dallas Cowboys and still have some question marks entering this pivotal weekend of preparation. Coughlin wants to see how left tackle Will Beatty does this weekend after dealing with a back issue for much of the offseason and camp. Also, Michael Coe could start at cornerback opposite Webster with Amukamara on the mend. And there's defensive tackle Marvin Austin, who has been sidelined by a back injury.
Teams can designate one injured player on Tuesday as an injured reserve player who can be activated to play again this season after eight weeks.