The New York Giants are dealing with injuries on special teams again with starting punter Jamie Gillan questionable for Sunday’s Week 6 matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals. The Giants held a tryout on Friday featuring five punters with veteran Matt Haack ultimately winning the job and being signed to the team.
Giants sign veteran punter Matt Haack
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Giants are signing Matt Haack who is expected to punt for the Giants on Sunday. The expectation is that Gillan will miss Sundays game as he continues to recover from a left hamstring injury.
Haack, meanwhile, will be in the starting lineup for Big Blue. The 30-year-old punter has been an NFL journeyman throughout his seven-year career, playing for the Miami Dolphins (2017-2020), the Buffalo Bills (2021), the Indianapolis Colts (2022), and the Cleveland Browns (2023).
Throughout his career, Haack has averaged 39.6 net yards per punt with a 5.8% touchback rate. 37.0% of his career punts have landed inside the 20-yard line. Haack has appeared in 99 career games, so Sunday’s matchup for the Giants will be game 100 for the veteran.
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The Giants have received major contributions from their special teams in recent weeks. LB/ST Isaiah Simmons was named the Week 5 NFC Special Teams Player of the Week for his heroic efforts blocking the Seattle Seahawks’ field goal in the fourth quarter, a game-sealing play for the G-Men.
In Week 2, however, special teams cost the Giants the game. They decided not to elevate a backup kicker to the final roster despite an injury to veteran Graham Gano and ultimately lost by a margin of three points. It seems as though head coach Brian Daboll has learned his lesson this time around.
