E-GIANTS
Dave Klein was the Giants' beat writer for The Star-Ledger from 1961 to 1995.
He is the author of 26 books and he was one of only three sportswriters to have covered all the Super Bowls up until last year. Dave has allowed TEAM GIANTS to reprint some of his articles.

GIANTS SIGN FOSTER, RE-SIGN BOARD, SILLS; AGREE WITH MARTINEZ

By Dave Klein
The Giants signed two new wide receivers Monday. One of them was already on the roster and the other - surprise! surprise! - came via the Buffalo Bills. He is the 6-2, 194-pound Robert Foster, who played at Alabama (when new head coach Brian Daboll was an assistant), and then for the Bills - when Daboll was offensive coordinator.

The old face belongs to C.J. Board, who played for the Giants the last two years before being "waived" earlier this off-season.

Also, the new management - general manager Bob Schoen - worked out a deal to re-sign linebacker Blake Martinez, known affectionately as "The Tackling Machine," to a reduced salary (with additional benefits, of course). The new terms will save the team an immediate $5.5 million in the salary cap.

Martinez was to receive $8.4 in salary this season, but was restructured down to $4 million, a reduction in the salary cap of $4.9 million.

He suffered a torn ACL in Week Three and didn't play again for the entire season.

Foster, 6-2 and 194 pounds, did not play a game in 2021, when he spent most of the season on the Dallas Cowboys' practice squad.

Foster has played in 30 regular-season games with seven starts for Buffalo (2018-19) and Washington (2020). He had 32 receptions for 642 yards and three touchdowns, plus two rushing attempts for 29 yards. Foster did not have a catch in his only postseason game (with Washington).

Foster joined the Bills as an undrafted rookie in 2018, Daboll's first season as the team's offensive coordinator and Schoen's second as assistant general manager. He played in 13 games with three starts and posted career-high totals of 27 receptions for 541 yards (20.0-yard avg.) and all three of his scores.

Foster has had three 100-yard games - a career-best 108 vs. Detroit, 105 in MetLife Stadium vs. the Jets and 104 (on a career-high seven catches) against the Jets in Buffalo. Foster scored his first touchdown on a career-long 75-yard reception vs. Jacksonville and also scored against the Lions and Miami Dolphins.

The following season, he played in 13 games with two starts and finished with three catches for 64 yards.

Buffalo released him at the end of training camp in 2020 and after a six-week stint on the Green Bay Packers' practice squad, Foster joined the Washington Football Team. In four games (two starts), he caught two passes for 37 yards.

On March 17, 2021, Foster signed as a free agent with Miami, but was released on Aug. 30. He joined the Cowboys' practice squad on Sept. 13 and active roster on Jan. 17 before he was waived on Friday.

Foster played in 36 games with 16 starts at Alabama, where he had 35 receptions for 389 yards and three touchdowns. Daboll was the offensive coordinator for Foster's final season in 2017, when the wideout caught 14 passes for 174 yards and one score.

Board, 6-1 and 181, played the last two seasons for the Giants after beginning his career with the Jacksonville Jaguars, who signed him as an undrafted free agent out of Chattanooga University.

In 2021, Board played in the season's first six games. He caught four passes for 51 yards and averaged 24.8 yards on 11 kickoff returns and 16.5 yards on two punt returns. Board started against the Rams on Oct. 17, a game in which he fractured his arm, which sent him to injured reserve for the remainder of the season.

Board's career numbers include 17 receptions for 183 yards in 24 games (five starts). He has also returned 13 kickoffs (25.2-yard avg.) and three punts (13.0-yard avg.).

Also signed was wide receiver David Sills V, who had been with the Giants, as well as guard-tackle Matt Gono, 6-4 and 305, whose signing as a veteran free agent was announced last week in E-GIANTS and confirmed yesterday by the team.

Also released was tight end Kaden Smith, and veteran Evan Engram, a first-round pick in 2017, is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent Wednesday.

Finally, quarterback Mitch Trubisky, who was thought to be a positive candidate to sign with the Giants, has instead inked a contract with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

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