Due to the extraordinary circumstance of having to play two preseason games within 72 hours due to Hurricane Irene, the New York Giants and New York Jets have been granted a five-player exception to the 80-man roster limit teams were to reach today by 4 p.m. ET. The NFL announced today that both the Giants and Jets would be allowed to carry 85 players for their preseason games on Thursday.
The Giants play the New England Patriots and the Jets host the Philadelphia Eagles. Both teams will have to trim their rosters to 80 players by Friday at 4 p.m.
The Giants made four moves Tuesday afternoon to reach the 85-man limit. They placed defensive tackle Marvin Austin, their second-round pick in the 2011 NFL Draft, on injured reserve with a torn pectoral muscle. waived/injured wide receiver Duke Calhoun and placed wide receiver Ramses Barden (ankle) and center Adam Koets (knee) on the reserve/physically unable to perform list.
According to NFL rules, the earliest they can come back is the day after the sixth regular season weekend (the Tuesday after Week 6, since the Monday night games are technically part of the weekend). The Giants host Buffalo on Oct. 16 in Week 6.
When a player is removed from the PUP list, they are allowed up to 21 days of practice before a decision has to be made whether to activate, terminate, or keep them on the reserve/PUP list.
Calhoun, a second-year pro, played in nine games for the Giants in 2010 and had seven special teams tackles. He has had an injured hamstring and did not play last Monday against the Jets.