The New York Giants are reaching back into their recent NFL past with their weekly Tuesday workouts, hosting former Giant receiver Hakeem Nicks and former Patriots and Broncos wideout Wes Welker.
Former Washington tight end Chris Cooley will also be among the players trying to impress the Giants.
A source told ESPN's Josina Anderson that the Giants were working out Nicks and Welker, two veteran wide receivers who want to keep playing but have struggled to find work this offseason. Welker's concussion history has caused teams to shy away from him, and Nicks spent a promising summer in training camp with the Titans before being cut in their final roster reduction.
Nicks also has drawn interest this season from the New Orleans Saints and Dallas Cowboys, but has yet to find a team.
The Giants host a dozen or so players every Tuesday for workouts, and the vast majority of them are not signed. But these names are interesting because of their profile and because of the fact that the Giants only have five wide receivers and three tight ends on their roster right now.
One of the tight ends, Jerome Cunningham, missed last week's game with a knee injury. And one of the wide receivers, Victor Cruz, has yet to return from the knee injury that ended his 2014 season early and a calf injury he suffered in August.
Cruz is optimistic about playing Sunday, but even if he does, the Giants can't be sure he'll make a full recovery from last year's torn right patellar tendon.
Nicks was the Giants' first-round pick in 2009. In his third season, he helped them win Super Bowl XLVI, a game that featured a memorable Welker dropped pass. But Nicks dealt with leg injuries throughout his Giants career and had a disappointing 2013 season that led the team to let him leave as a free agent when it ended. He played for the Colts last year but didn't impress there, either.