Report: Giants signed long snapper Colin Holba to a two-year deal

Back in November, long before any of their offseason work had begun, the New York Giants decided to do a little under-the-radar house cleaning.

After renegotiating the contracts of three exclusive rights free agents — linebacker Devante Downs, guard Chad Slade and tackle Eric Smith — general manager Dave Gettleman turned his attention to the team’s five restricted free agents.

One of those restricted free agents was long snapper Colin Holba, who the team had promoted from the practice squad to replace the injured Zak DeOssie.

In DeOssie’s absence, Holba played relatively well and that did not go unnoticed. And with DeOssie headed for free agency and unlikely to return, Gettleman got a jump-start on things by quietly signing Holba to a two-year deal.

One #Giants free agency note, per source: Long snapper Colin Holba — who replaced injured Zak DeOssie during the season — is not a free agent. He signed a 2-year contract in Nov. and will be a restricted free agent after the 2020 season. He did a nice job taking over.

— Ryan Dunleavy (@rydunleavy) February 16, 2020

The two-year deal does not guarantee that Holba will be the starting long snapper in 2020, but it does give him a leg up on any potential incoming competition.