According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the New York Giants released veteran fullback/tight end Jakob Johnson on Tuesday morning as they prepare to trim their roster down to 53 men by the deadline at 4 PM EST. Johnson had made a solid impact in the preseason and figured to play an important role in the Giants’ rushing attack this season, despite signing with the team a little over a week ago.
Instead, Johnson ends up being their first surprising roster cut. But for how long will he be released from the team? Despite releasing Johnson, the Giants could still plan to bring him back later this week and give him a roster spot.
The Giants could bring back Jakob Johnson as a vested veteran
Because Johnson is a vested veteran, he could still return to the Giants this week. Vested veterans are not subject to waivers, and therefore Johnson cannot be “claimed” by another team on the waiver wire. He is now a free agent and, as Art Stapleton of North Jersey put it, has the “right of refusal” when it comes to other teams attempting to sign him.
It is possible that the Giants told Johnson they plan on bringing him back as a free agent this week. Johnson had been a free agent all spring and for the majority of the summer, so it’s unlikely that teams are lining up to sign him. However, Johnson’s release from the roster still comes as a surprise. The top beat writers covering the Giants all had Johnson on their final 53-man roster projections (h/t Doug Analytics).
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Since Johnson won’t be hitting the waiver wire, he could still return to Big Blue. Johnson has familiarity with the Giants’ new offensive line coach, Carmen Bricillo, who is known to value the utilization of a fullback in his blocking scheme. That’s why Johnson was considered by many to be a lock to make the final roster.
While 4 PM EST on Tuesday afternoon is the deadline for NFL teams to lock in a “final” 53-man roster, that roster is truly far from finalized. Teams will put in claims on the waiver wire on Wednesday morning, which will then result in more releases and roster reshufflings. Johnson could be signed back with the Giants following the waiver claim period, though, re-signing him would result in the release of another player.
New York Giants 2024 Roster Cut Tracker