Oct 16, 2022; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; New York Giants wide receiver Marcus Johnson (84) runs with the ball against Baltimore Ravens cornerback Damarion Williams (22) during the first quarter at MetLife Stadium. — Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports

Giants Add Receiver Marcus Johnson to 53-man Roster

New York also makes some practice squad moves.

Author:
The Giants Maven News Desk
Publish date:
Oct 18, 2022 5:12 PM EDT

In this story:

The New York Giants signed wide receiver Marcus Johnson from their practice squad to fill one of two vacancies on the 53-man roster.

The two roster openings resulted from the Giants placing defensive lineman D.J. Davidson and defensive back Tony Jefferson on injured reserve last week.

Johnson, who had been elevated the maximum of three times from the practice squad over the last three weeks, gives the Giants depth at a position group where there is still some question regarding the availabilities of Kenny Golladay (knee) and Kadarius Toney (hamstring).

The 6-foot-1, 207-pound Johnson, in his three stints with the 53-man roster this season (two starts), has caught five of seven pass targets for 60 yards.

Johnson was initially signed to the Giants' practice squad on September 6, one week after the San Francisco 49ers cut him. He also had stints with Philadelphia, Indianapolis, and Tennessee and has 56 receptions for 899 yards and three touchdowns for his career, plus a 19.6-yard average on 11 kickoff returns.

The Giants also signed veteran tackle Korey Cunningham and tight end Lawrence Cager to their practice squad and released tight end Austin Allen from the practice squad.

Cunningham, who was with the Giants in 2021 and played 12 games as a reserve offensive tackle, was released by the Giants on July 22 with a non-football injury. He also made career stops in Arizona and New England.

Cager, 6-foot-5 and 220 pounds, began his NFL career with the Jets in 2020 as an undrafted rookie free agent out of Georgia, where he had transferred to following three seasons at Miami of Ohio. He played two games with one start for them as a rookie and logged two catches for 35 yards. He also played a game with the Browns before returning to the Jets, who released him on Saturday.

Allen, 6-foot-9 and 255 pounds was signed as an undrafted free agent on May 16 out of Nebraska. He was waived on August 30 and signed to the practice squad the next day, where he sat for the first six weeks.