Free agency came and went with a hurry. Then the draft, and then the signing of undrafted rookies. Rosters are all close to being filled.
And Victor Cruz still doesn’t have a job, so the veteran wide receiver’s a little antsy about it.
Cruz told Zach Braziller of the New York Post he still thinks he can help a team and is eager to prove it.
“I just want to play,” Cruz said. “I’m just anxious to get on a team, anxious to play some football and anxious to see where I end up.”
(And while many people confuse anxious with eager, his current lack of employment means Cruz has used it correctly at least in the first instance.)
The 30-year-old Cruz was released by the Giants in February. He missed most of 2014 and 2015 with injuries but had a solid year last season, with 39 receptions for 586 yards and a touchdown.
But other than a visit with the Panthers that came and went without a contract, we haven’t heard much from him. He said there had been other interest but declined an invitation to specify. He was willing to lobby the Jaguars, since old coach Tom Coughlin is running things there now.
“I’m all for it,” he said. “Any time you know someone and you know a coach like coach Coughlin and you know his pedigree and what he’s about, for him to be on another team, you’re always for that opportunity. . . .
“I’m just anxious to see someone that wants me on their team and I end up being there. It’s my first time being in this position, it’s my first time being in free agency. After being on a team for seven years, you never know what to expect. I’m just excited for this opportunity, excited to be ready, and see where I end up. You have to always stay ready, so you don’t have to get ready. That’s always been my motto.”
Of course, someone has to show they’re ready for Cruz to join them, and so far, that hasn’t happened.