The New York Giants surprisingly released veteran fullback/tight end Jakob Johnson on Tuesday morning after they finalized their initial 53-man roster. Even though he was released, it was evident that it would not take long for Johnson to return to the team. On Wednesday morning, the Giants signed Johnson back to their practice squad (h/t Art Stapleton of North Jersey).
Giants re-sign veteran FB/TE Jakob Johnson to their practice squad
The Giants signed Johnson to their roster in mid-August, giving new offensive line coach Carmen Bricillo a fullback to complete his run-blocking scheme. Bricillo has utilized a fullback in a major role during his past seasons as the Las Vegas Raiders’ offensive line coach, namely Johnson, as he was with Bricillo in Vegas over the past two seasons.
Johnson appeared in 30 games for the Raiders across the last two years, making 14 starts as the team’s fullback and playing 27% and 23% of the team’s offensive snaps in 2022 and 2023, respectively. He also played in 37 games with 20 starts over three seasons (2019-2021) with the New England Patriots, where he also played under Bricillo.
The Giants are reshuffling their roster on Wednesday as they prepare to make claims on the waiver wire. Adding Johnson back to the practice squad was a crucial step as he will likely be activated to the active roster and play a significant number of snaps during the regular season.
