Giants Country

New York Giants Practice Squad and Roster Tweak Tracker

Follow along as we track those players added to the Giants practice squad and the roster tweaks we know are coming.

Patricia Traina

Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports

A day after NFL teams cut their training camp rosters from 80 to 53, the next step in the process is the establishment of a 16-man practice squad.  

Also worth noting, the NFL waiver period for players with less than four years experience expires at 4:00 p.m. ET today. Any player who goes unclaimed by that time becomes a free agent free to sign with either a 53-man roster or the practice squad.

And finally, starting today, players who made the initial 53-man roster who are IR eligible may be moved to IR to open roster spots for others. Those moved to IR starting today are eligible to return to the 53-man roster after sitting on IR for a minimum of three weeks.

But back to the practice squad. As noted, 16 men can be placed on the practice squad, and six of those players can have unlimited NFL experience due to the carryover of the COVID-19 roster rules.

 Those 16 players will earn $9,200 per week if they have less than two years of accrued experience and $14,000 per week for those with more than two years of experience. That money will count against the team's salary cap.

Players who are game day elevations will have their salaries adjusted to a prorated minimum commensurate with their accrued experience. A player can be elevated to the 53-man roster twice and then returned to the practice squad without being exposed to waivers.

Four practice squad players can be protected per week.

Keep it here as we update the list of practice squad players and roster tweaks made by the Giants on this first day of September.

Waiver Pickups

WR Collin Johnson (6'6", 220 pounds, via Jacksonville): Johnson, son of College Football Hall of Fame cornerback Johnnie Johnson, was a fifth-round pick 9No. 165 overall) by the Jaguars in the 2020 draft out of Texas. He has 272 receiving yards on 18 receptions and two touchdowns. He appeared in 14 games for the Jaguars (no starts) and was targeted 31 times last season. Johnson is primarily an outside receiver, but he does have some experience working in the slot. He also has a career 50 percent contested catch rate.

LB Justin Hilliard (6'1, 231 pounds, via 49ers): Hilliard was signed as an undrafted free agent by the 49ers after the 2021 draft out of Ohio State. He finished as the 49ers' team leader in sacks this preseason (18, including nine solos) and had two tackles for a loss and one quarterback hit. Primarily deployed as an off-ball linebacker, Hilliard finished with a 91.1 coverage rating this preseason.

LB Quincy Roche (6'3", 245 pounds via Steelers): Roche (pronounced Ro-SHAY) was the Steelers' sixth-round pick (No. 217 overall) out of Miami, Florida, where he spent one season after transferring from Temple. The edge rusher recorded five tackles, one tackle for a loss, 1.5 sacks, and three quarterback hits in his role as an edge defender. Roche, however, was beaten out by undrafted first-year rookie Jamir Jones.

Injured Reserve

The Giants placed linebacker Elerson Smith (hamstring) and receiver John Ross III (hamstring) on injured reserve. Both are eligible to come off the injured reserve list after three weeks.

Re-signing

Long snapper Casey Kreiter, who was part of the initial cuts by the giants to get down to the 53-man roster limit, was re-signed.

Procedural Move

W.R. C.J. Board: This was a procedural move to allow the Giants to accommodate the three new players awarded via waivers. Board was cut and then re-signed to his same contract once the Giants opened up additional roster spots by moving Ross and Smith to the injured reserve list. 

Cuts

WR Dante Pettis: Somewhat of a surprise to make the initial 53-man roster after a relatively quiet summer, it was initially thought with John Ross ailing that perhaps Pettis, who at one point was regarded as the best return specialist in college football, might find a second life. Such, however, won't be the case.

OLB Trent Harris: Harris's departure is something of a surprise considering the summer he had. Harris finished second on the team in tackles (8) and had a sack, a quarterback hit, and a special teams tackle. Harris initially signed to the Giants’ practice squad on Oct. 14, 2020, and to the active roster on Oct. 17, 2020, saw action in four games last season with two starts at linebacker and was credited with five tackles (one solo), a half-sack and one quarterback hit.

Practice Squad Signings

WR Damion Willis: Willis finished as the Giants' preseason leader in receiving yards (112) and touchdowns (2) on six receptions. The 6'3" and 204-pound Willis had stints with the Bengals (who signed him as an undrafted free agent out of Troy in 2019) and the Browns, Jaguars, and Broncos.

OLB Niko Lalos: The Giants tried playing Lalos at inside linebacker in the preseason finale, but he struggled in coverage, where he was beaten in three straight throws. The Giants might be looking to have Lalos develop the off-ball skillset to increase his value--he's a physical edge defender who is best inline where he can use his size and technique to play physical contain.

TE Ryan Izzo: Izzo is originally a seventh-round draft pick (250th overall) by the Patriots in 2018 out of Florida State. The Highland Lakes, New Jersey native spent his rookie season on injured reserve but made his NFL debut the following season, playing in 18 games (16 starts) and catching 19 out of 28 pass targets for 313 yards and one touchdown. Izzo's 2020 season was cut short by another injury as he was placed on injured reserve after appearing in 12 games. In March 2021, Izzo was traded to the Texans for a seventh-round draft pick. 

**This move was reported by Izzo's agent and was not confirmed by the Giants as part of their initial announcement.

G/G Brett Heggie: Heggie, mainly a college center, started to get some snaps at guard late in camp and will continue that development on the practice squad to increase his versatility while also improving his strength.

WR David Sills V: This year's training camp star finished as the Giants' team leader in receptions with seven for 94 yards, 25 yards after the catch. But there were flaws to his receiving game, namely his downfield run blocking and his contested catch ability (two of six contested catches). But oddly enough, the Giants only put Sills on ten special teams snaps, an odd occurrence considering if Sills were to make the Giants roster, his role would have probably been more special teams based.

WR Matt Cole: Cole, who shed with four special teams tackles (two solos, tying him with Cam Brown for the lead), showed some promise on special teams and was even athletic enough to log some encouraging snaps at cornerback. The Giants will probably take the year to figure out where Cole's best position is and make sure he gets the coaching in that area.

TE Nakia Griffin-Stewart: The 6’5, and 260-pound Griffin-Stewart appeared in 57 snaps for the Giants this summer, 27 of those as a run blocker, where his run blocking tapered off. As a pass blocker, he allowed four quarterback pressures in five pass-blocking snaps but showed enough upside to warrant continued investment in his development. He also caught all three of his pass targets this summer for 30 yards and a 108.7 rating.

TE Jake Hausmann: The Giants picked up Jake Hausmann off waivers on August 7 from the Lions, a move made not long after veteran Levine Toilolo suffered a season-ending ruptured Achilles. Hausmann was solid as a run blocker despite being smallish for the role, but his technique and execution were better than expected for an inline blocker.

OL Kenny Wiggins: Wiggins saw his stock slip as the summer went on, but the Giants still liked his versatility--he can play guard or tackle--enough to keep him around on the practice squad.

DL David Moa: The Giants' defensive line was so deep this summer that the team could trade B.J. Hill for an offensive line. That deep nature of the defensive line left no room for Moa, who finished second on the defense this summer in pressures with seven (behind team leader Raymond Johnson III). Still, Moa is worth continuing to develop after his summer showing.

TE Chris Myarick: The 6'5" 261-pound Myarick was initially signed as an undrafted free agent out of Temple in 2019 by the Dolphins. After failing to make the 53-man roster, he landed on the Dolphins practice squad. The following year, he again tried to crack into the 53-man roster only to have his quest fall short. Myarick was elevated to the active roster four times late in the season but appeared on offense in just three games and did not have a pass target.

**This move was reported by Myarick's agent and not confirmed by the Giants as part of their initial announcement.

OL Jackson Barton: Barton received 123 offensive snaps, all of those coming at left tackle, and showed some promise in his performance.  He was solid in pass protection, but needs to continue building up his run blocking and staying on his feet.

OL Jake Burton: Burton was one of the undrafted rookie free agents added to the roster after the draft. A raw prospect, Burton has good size at 6'6' and 312 pounds but will need some refinement to his technique.

DL Willie Henry: Henry, a fourth-round pick of the Ravens in the 2016 NFL draft who prior to joining the Giants was with the Eagles finished the summer with three pressures and five tackles, but was in need of refining his run defense.

DB Jordyn Peters: The Giants liked safety/cornerback Jordyn Peters enough to bring him back a second time once they had a roster opening this summer.  Peters lined up primarily at free safety in the game against the Patriots and wasn't targetd much in the preseason finale, but the Giants saw enough  to have interest in further developing his skillset. 

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Patricia Traina
PATRICIA TRAINA

Patricia Traina has covered the New York Giants for 30+ seasons, and her work has appeared in multiple media outlets, including The Athletic, Forbes, Bleacher Report, and the Sports Illustrated media group. As a credentialed New York Giants press corps member, Patricia has also covered five Super Bowls (three featuring the Giants), the annual NFL draft, and the NFL Scouting Combine. She is the author of The Big 50: The Men and Moments that Made the New York Giants. In addition to her work with New York Giants On SI, Patricia hosts the Locked On Giants podcast. Patricia is also a member of the Pro Football Writers of America and the Football Writers Association of America.

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