The New York Giants made a handful of roster moves Monday, as they signed veteran kick returner Ihmir Smith-Marsette to replace the injured Gunner Olszewski as he will miss time with a groin injury, per ESPN’s Jordan Raanan. In addition, the Giants signed linebacker Curtis Bolton to the practice squad following the pectoral injury that Carter Coughlin suffered in their Week One defeat to the Minnesota Vikings.
The Giants added veteran kick returner Ihmir Smith-Marsette
Smith-Marsette is the most notable move, as prior to Sunday’s season opener, it looked as though Olszewski was going to be able to play, but he re-aggravated his groin injury that kept him out through the preseason and was deemed unable to play. The Giants initially felt that he was healthy enough to play, but now will be without him for the foreseeable future.
Smith-Marsette, 25, has spent time with the Vikings, Chiefs, Bears and Panthers in his short three-year NFL career. He has been primarily used as both a punt and kickoff returner in his career.
Smith-Marsette will fill in nicely for the Giants
Last season with the Panthers, Smith-Marsette played all 17 games and had 37 punt returns for 322 yards and one touchdown return. He will play a massive role in the Giants’ special teams group as they search for a consistent kick returner until Olszewski is healthy enough to return to the field.
The Giants experimented with different kick returning options Sunday, including having wide receiver Darius Slayton return a punt that he muffed and nearly turned over. New York now has a player that has plenty of experience returning kicks and should have some stability at the position for the next several weeks.