Jake Ballard was only an ex-New York Giant for 24 hours.
The New York Daily News noted that the tight end was back in the Giants facility Tuesday precisely at 4:02 p.m. ET, two minutes after he officially cleared waivers. The Giantswaived Ballard on Monday after he failed a team physical.
Ballard is expected to be placed on the team's physically-unable-to-perform list. He is expected to miss the entire season and eventually end up on injured reserve.
"I'm on the road to recovery, and I believe I'll be in a Giants uniform in '13" Ballard wrote Monday on Twitter.
It looked bad that Ballard was waived on Monday, but ultimately it was a procedural move. His very significant knee injury will knock him out of football for a season. He should have a chance to come back with the Giants next year.