Landon Collins sat at an inconspicuous locker without a nameplate on Wednesday. He was barely recognized as he quietly slipped in after the Giants’ practice.
“That’s how I like it,” Collins said with a smile.
It’s good to be back, he said. The 2016 Giants All-Pro never wanted to leave as a free agent in 2019, but he wasn’t fond of Dave Gettleman and the former GM’s lack of appreciation for the safety’s skills.
“Facts, facts, facts, facts,” Collins said Wednesday. “That was my only concern. I want fans to understand that. It wasn’t the Giants. It was Dave Gettleman… It sucked. I wanted to stay but Gettleman didn’t want me here. So I had to take my chances somewhere else.”
Collins, 28, never lived up to the megadeal he signed in Washington, but now he’s back in New York to prove “that I still got it.”
“I’ve been injury prone for the past, what, two years, three years?” Collins said. “So that’s my biggest downfall right now. But other than that I’m still a playmaker, I’m still a baller, and I love this game.”
The Giants’ 2015 second-round pick admitted that signing to the practice squad was “humbling.”
“It’s definitely humbling coming from when you’re the top [guy] and now you’re back to ground one,” he said.
But he was willing to do anything to “come home,” as he put it. Here was his last week:
On Sunday, Oct. 2, he flew from Austin, Texas, to New Jersey. The next day, he worked out for the Giants in East Rutherford. They were planning to sign him, but they couldn’t right away. So he went to his place in Washington, D.C., mid-week, then returned to Texas.
Then the Giants called and told him to meet them in England. So he connected from Austin to Dallas to London, and met the Giants with only workout clothes in his bags due to the last-minute pack.
“I’m just happy to be back playing,” he said. “Coming back, most likely hoping to retire as a Giant, is a dream come true.”
Collins’ contributions on the field may not happen overnight. He is working on dropping some weight and said he’s going to stay “patient” because he’s still got “a lot to learn within the scheme.”
But he did drills as both an inside linebacker and a scout-team safety at Wednesday’s practice. And he said “the fastest way to get on the field for me is probably [in] dime [as a third safety], so I’m playing that role for right now.
“I’m not in no rush,” Collins said. “I don’t want to go out on the field and be the reason why something bad happens. So I want to take my time and try to get everything right.”
FREE JAMIE
Giants punter Jamie Gillan, “The Scottish Hammer,” did not fly back from London with the team due to passport issues. But Brian Daboll said he expected Gillan back in New Jersey by Wednesday evening.
In the meantime, kicker Graham Gano and long-snapper Casey Kreiter drew “Free Jamie!” on their practice T-shirts. Gano, who is part-Scottish, even drew Scotland’s flag.
“What they did was they had a case of Guinness to bait him,” Gano joked. “And when Jamie walked up to it, they cuffed him.”
ANOTHER ROOKIE ACL
Rookie defensive tackle D.J. Davidson, a fifth-round pick, tore his right ACL and has been placed on injured reserve. He is the third member of the Giants’ 11-man draft class to tear his ACL. So did fifth-round OL Marcus McKethan and sixth-round LB Darrian Beavers.
No. 5 overall pick edge Kayvon Thibodeaux missed the first two games with a sprained MCL. Second-round receiver Wan’Dale Robinson (sprained right MCL) hasn’t played since Week 1. And fourth-round safety Dane Belton missed the season opener due to a broken collarbone.
BARKLEY LIMITED BY SHOULDER
Saquon Barkley (right shoulder) was limited at Wednesday’s practice by the injury that forced him out of last Sunday’s win in London for a series. He had an extra pad over his shoulder again. The Giants’ full injury report remains as long as a CVS receipt.
Wide receivers Kenny Golladay (knee) and Kadarius Toney (hamstring), safety Tony Jefferson (foot), and corners Cor’Dale Flott (calf) and Jason Pinnock (ankle) did not practice.
Barkley, corners Adoree Jackson (knee/neck) and Darnay Holmes (left quad), D-lineman Leonard Williams (knee), QB Tyrod Taylor (concussion) tight end Chris Myarick (ankle), edge Azeez Ojulari (calf) and wideout Wan’Dale Robinson (knee) were all limited.
Daboll was optimistic Taylor could clear the protocol for Thursday. Robinson looked good running routes in individual drills. He may return this week. He hasn’t played since Week 1.
In other news, the Giants re-signed wide receiver Robert Foster to the practice squad on Monday. He spent most of the offseason with the team.
Offensive guard Shane Lemieux (foot) — who is on injured reserve but eligible to return this season — was on the practice field in a T-shirt rehabbing with the other players. It’s another step in his rehab to possibly contribute at some point.