NFL's New York Giants Move Former UAlbany Cornerback Rashad Barksdale to Active Roster

Courtesy: UAlbany Sports Information

East Rutherford, N.J. - The Giants announced on Tuesday, Dec. 30 the addition of two players to their roster in advance of tomorrow’s first practice of the postseason. They signed cornerback Rashad Barksdale, a former University at Albany standout, off their practice squad and signed linebacker Rich Scanlon.

To make room on the roster, the Giants put cornerback Sam Madison on injured reserve and waived linebacker Edmond Miles. Madison broke his right ankle in the third quarter at Minnesota.

Barskdale, 6-0 and 208 pounds, was signed to the practice squad on Sept. 1. He was released on Oct. 21 but re-signed the next day.

In 2007, Barksdale spent the entire season with the Kansas City Chiefs. He played in six games and was inactive for the other 10 games. Barksdale finished with nine special teams tackle. He made his NFL debut against Jacksonville on Oct. 7 with one special teams tackle. Barksdale had three tackles vs. Tennessee on Dec. 16 and at the Jets on Dec. 30.

Barksdale joined the NFL as a sixth-round draft choice of the Philadelphia Eagles in 2007, the 201st overall selection. He was waived on Sept. 1, 2007 and signed by Kansas City the following day. He is the first player on the Giants’ active roster from the University at Albany, where they have held training camp since 1996.

Barksdale played baseball for two seasons at Albany before joining the football team as a walk-on as a senior in 2006. He started 10 games at cornerback and was credited with 37 tackles (26 solo) and intercepted three passes, including two in the fourth quarter in an upset victory over Delaware. Barksdale was an All-State running back and defensive back at Hudson (N.Y.) High School. He was born on May 11, 1984.

Scanlon, 6-2 and 249 pounds, has played in 40 games – 31 with Kansas City from 2004-06 and nine with Tennessee in 2007. He also played in a postseason game with the Titans last season. Scanlon has never started a game, as most of his playing time has been on special teams, where he has 51 tackles.

Scanlon joined the Chiefs as an undrafted free agent in 2004. As a rookie he played in six games and had five special teams tackles. He started 11 games for the Berlin Thunder of NFL Europa in 2005, when he led the league with 94 tackles (68 solo). That year, he played all 16 games for the Chiefs, including 13 in which he played on defense. He led the team with 29 special teams tackles and had three tackles on defense. In 2006, Scanlon played in nine games, including seven on defense. He had 10 special teams tackles. He was placed on injured reserve with a neck injury on Dec. 31, 2006.

Scanlon was waived by the Chiefs at the end of training camp in 2007. He signed with the Titans on Oct. 31, 2007 and contributed seven special teams tackles and two fumble recoveries in nine regular season games and two special teams tackles in the Titans’ AFC Wild Card loss at San Dieg0.