The New York Giants made another roster move on Friday, just days away from the start of the regular season. The Giants re-signed linebacker/special teams player Carter Coughlin to the practice squad one day after releasing him, per Pat Leonard of the New York Daily News.
The Giants brought back Carter Coughlin and cut Jakob Johnson
To make room for Carter on the practice squad, the Giants cut fullback/tight end Jakob Johnson, who was brought in halfway during the preseason but didn’t make the initial roster cuts.
Johnson has been playing under offensive line coach Carmen Bricillo since 2019 across three different teams now (the Patriots from 2019-2021, the Raiders from 2022-2023, and most recently the Giants this summer). He was expected to play a crucial role in the team’s run-blocking scheme this season.
Johnson was added to the active roster last week, but that stint on the 53-man squad was a short-lived stay as he is once again a free agent. It’s not outside of the realm of possibility that the Giants will look to sign Johnson back at some point this season. However, head coach Brian Daboll has seldom utilized a fullback in his two seasons with the team.
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Coughlin now returns to the Giants and could be useful during the season if they need him, especially in the special teams department. He has been with the team since 2020 and has logged 82% of his snaps on special teams. He has the ability to fill in at the linebacker position as well. He’s totaled 41 career combined tackles, but he has only played eight defensive snaps over the past two seasons.
It is unclear if this recent move will be the final roster decision made before the season opener on Sunday. However, more moves will likely come following the Week 1 game against the Minnesota Vikings if injuries occur, which could pave the way for Coughlin to return to the active roster at some point.
