Wilson jumped 52 feet, 3/4 inches at the East Region Open Championships on Sunday with an eight-step approach. A day earlier, he went 48-1 1/4 in his first pro meet at the Adidas Grand Prix, realizing he wasn’t ready for a full 12-step approach at this stage of his training.

He has jumped a wind-aided 53-1 3/4 when he finished sixth at the NCAA meet for Virginia Tech in 2011.

A former first-round draft pick, Wilson was forced to retire after two NFL seasons because of a neck injury, then decided to give triple jump another try.

This weekend was the last chance to qualify for nationals.

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Wilson plans to compete again Sunday as he tries to qualify for the U.S. championships.

Wilson jumped 48 feet, 1 1/4 inches Saturday at the Adidas Grand Prix. His personal best is 52-6 3/4.

He last competed in 2011, when he finished sixth at the NCAA meet for Virginia Tech.

A serious neck injury forced Wilson to retire from the NFL at age 23 in August. The former first-round pick then decided to give the triple jump another try.

Cuba’s Pedro Pablo Pichardo won Saturday with a jump of 57-7 1/2.

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After releasing linebacker Michael Boley on Tuesday, the Giants cut their veteran starting running back and the versatile Canty as they try to create more cap space while also moving in a different direction following a 9-7 season that finished with no playoffs for the 2011 Super Bowl champs. The Giants could release more veterans before next month’s free agency period begins.

“I saw it coming because of the money,” Bradshaw told ESPN’s Josina Anderson. “Everything is about money I guess, so yes I was expecting it. I’m not discouraged at all. I’m just looking towards getting healthy and working with somebody else. That is all I can do. The Giants fans will always be remembered and always be loved. This is where I started and I just want to thank everybody for their support. Hopefully I’ll be back soon.”

Bradshaw, 26, rushed for 1,015 yards and six touchdowns as the team’s primary running back. However, he has had a history of battling through feet and ankle injuries and recently had surgery to have a screw replaced in his right foot, keeping him out for another eight weeks. Bradshaw has missed 12 games in his six seasons with the Giants but helped them win two Super Bowls during his New York tenure.

The Giants were projected to be $4.7 million over the salary cap for 2013 by NFL senior writer John Clayton and the team has to create space to try to keep free agents like left tackle Will Beatty and restricted free agents like Victor Cruz, Stevie Brown and Andre Brown.

Bradshaw was uncertain about his future toward the end of the season. The Giants’ 2012 first-round pick David Wilson emerged toward the end of the season and Andre Brown scored eight touchdowns this past season before breaking his leg.

Canty was due to make $6.25 million in base salary this upcoming season. He played in just nine games this past season after having knee surgery in the offseason.

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Beamer announced Friday that he’s hired former Auburn offensive coordinator Scot Loeffler to lead Virginia Tech’s offense, former Stanford wide receivers coach Aaron Moorehead to take over the Hokies’ wideouts, and another Auburn assistant, Jeff Grimes, to coach the offensive line. Grimes was Auburn’s O-line coach.

The Hokies finished 7-6, in large part because of their inability to run the ball consistently and a regressing passing game. Virginia Tech’s streak of eight consecutive 10-win seasons ended, and the Hokies had to win their last two regular-season games just to qualify for the Russell Athletic Bowl — where they beat Rutgers 13-10 in overtime.

The moves mark the second major overhaul of Beamer’s offensive staff in seven years, and the departures of three staffers brought on during the last one. Quarterbacks coach Mike O’Cain was fired, receivers coach Kevin Sherman left for the same position at Purdue and Curt Newsome left the program, reportedly to head back to James Madison, although the school has not said if he was fired or resigned.

Bryan Stinespring, the offensive coordinator since 2001 and a 20-year member of Beamer’s staff, has been moved to recruiting coordinator. Considered the Hokies’ best recruiter, he also will continue to coach tight ends.

The new coaches will be introduced next Friday.

While Stinespring had the coordinator’s title, O’Cain has called the plays for the past two seasons.

The Stinespring-O’Cain combination directed a record-setting season in 2011, largely on the legs of NFL first-round draft choice David Wilson at tailback and the arm of emerging quarterback Logan Thomas. Wilson ran for a school-record 1,709 yards, and Thomas had a school-record 3,482 total yards.

But 2012 marked a return to the inconsistency that often prompted Hokies fans to call for change. Virginia Tech finished 81st nationally in both total offense (376.7 ypg) and scoring (25.08 ppg). Thomas had 3,500 yards of total offense, but completed just 51.3 percent of his throws and had 16 interceptions.

Beamer, who is intensely loyal to his staff and often cites the absence of significant turnover for allowing the Hokies to climb the ranks into college football’s elite, decided change was in order. He is thought to have interviewed several candidates for the coordinator’s job during the past few weeks.

Loeffler, 38, has coached for 15 seasons in the NFL and in college. He was the offensive coordinator at Temple in 2011 when the Owls finished 9-4 and ranked seventh in the nation with an average of 256.5 rushing yards. He moved to Auburn last season, and the inexperienced Tigers struggled mightily. They averaged just 305 yards, 115th out of 120 teams at the FBS level, and were 112th in scoring (18.67).

He has also coached six quarterbacks who went on to play in the NFL, including New England’s Tom Brady and Florida’s Tim Tebow, who left the Gators with five NCAA and 14 Southeastern Conference records.

Grimes, 44, spent five seasons at Auburn, including the national championship year in 2010, and worked with Loeffler last season.

Moorehead, 32, has been an assistant at Stanford for the past three years.

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