Getty Ex-Packers and Giants RB Dexter Williams.
The Giants‘ offensive line has been a revolving door this season — namely on the interior. On Wednesday, they continued that trend, reintroducing a familiar face into the fold. The team signed veteran Jonotthan Harrison to a practice squad deal, along with undrafted free agent offensive tackle Foster Sarell. In a corresponding move, the Giants terminated the practice squad contract of running back Dexter Williams.
Harrison, 30, was initially signed to a free-agent deal this past offseason with the expectation that the versatile lineman would compete with Will Hernandez for a starting gig at right guard, or push for snaps at center, allowing Nick Gates to slide over to guard — a move the Giants recently implement with Billy Price. Instead, Harrison was a surprise late-August cut for the G-Men after battling a hamstring injury early in camp.
Harrison Primed for Big Role?
While Harrison was added to the practice squad, don’t be surprised to see the 42-game career starter called up to the gameday roster shortly. His addition comes at a time when the Giants are ailing at the center and guard position.
Gates is done for the season after suffering a gruesome fractured leg in New York’s Week 2 loss to Washington. Furthermore, starting left guard Shane Lemieux recently underwent what was believed to be season-ending surgery to repair a partially torn patellar tendon — although head coach Joe Judge has since pushed back on the certainty of Lemieux’s season-long absence via Giants.com’s Dan Salomone:
Joe Judge said they’re optimistic about Shane Lemieux long-term. He wouldn’t rule out anything. “It wasn’t the worst-case scenario.”
The 6-foot-4-inch, 300-pound Harrison has logged at least eight starts in four of his six NFL seasons, spanning across stops with the Indianapolis Colts and the New York Jets. He spent the majority of the 2020 season on the Buffalo Bills‘ practice squad.
Back in East Rutherford, Harrison will likely compete for playing time with the aforementioned Billy Price — who didn’t exactly impress in his first game action with the Giants — as well as Ben Bredeson and Matt Skura.
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Sign up for the Heavy on Giants Newsletter!Williams Was Drafted by Green Bay After a Productive College Career
Williams was a fairly prolific collegiate running back, amassing nearly 1,800 yards from scrimmage and 22 total touchdowns from 2015-2018 at Notre Dame. He closed out his career in South Bend on a high note, rushing for a personal-best 995 yards and 12 touchdowns.
However, despite his solid production, the 5-foot-11-inch, 215-pound Florida native slipped to the sixth-round of the 2019 NFL Draft, when the Green Bay Packers decided to scoop him up with the 194th overall selection. While Williams cracked Green Bay’s 53-man roster as a rookie, he was buried on the depth chart behind the likes of Aaron Jones and Jamaal Williams, rarely sniffing the field. He toted the rock just five times for 11 yards over four games in 2019. The following year he bounced around the Packers’ active roster and practice squad, appearing in just two games on the season.
Williams was added to the Giants’ practice squad earlier this month. His exit leaves Sandro Platzgummer as the lone Giants running back not on the team’s active roster.