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T
he New York Giants didn’t wait long to correct their mistake with Jakob Johnson. Barely 24 hours removed from waiving the 29-year-old, the Giants wisely brought the veteran fullback and tight end back into the fold as a member of the practice squad.
Johnson’s return was confirmed by ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Wednesday, August 28.
It’s a smart move after the Giants surprisingly severed ties with former New England Patriots and Las Vegas Raiders starter Johnson a day earlier. In the process, Big Blue appeared content to go into the 2024 NFL regular season without one of the better lead blockers in football.
Johnson can make a difference to a Giants running game rebuilding without two-time Pro Bowler Saquon Barkley. His sneaky value makes it safe to assume Johnson will be elevated from the practice squad more than once in the coming months.
Jakob Johnson Will See the Field in 2024
Johnson’s niche skills and ability to help out at more than one position make him a strong bet to see the field once the games that matter begin. As Dan Duggan of The Athletic put it, “Johnson could be elevated early in the season since he could have a role as FB and on ST.”
Make that help at three spots if Johnson can be a factor on special teams. His bigger value, though, will remain knocking open holes for Giants’ running backs.
Barkley was talented enough to created his own rushing lanes or to ad-lib off blocks and still gain positive yards. The same can’t be said of his replacements, Devin Singletary, Eric Gray and rookie Tyrone Tracy Jr.
All three possess breakaway speed, but they’ll need room to run. Room Johnson creates by forcing defensive players off their spot.
That core talent is well known to new Giants’ offensive line coach Carmen Bricillo. He’s worked with Johnson “across three teams now since 2019,” according to Empire Sports Media’s Anthony Rivardo.
The experience is why Johnson was expected to make the final roster. It didn’t happen, but Bricillo is likely to lead the calls for Johnson to get some meaningful game time.
Giants Don’t Have Elite Blocker in the Backfield
There’s an absence of an elite blocker in the backfield. A problem compounded by the Giants also letting tight end Jack Stoll go on cutdown day.
Going without a competent blocker is a risk for a team still rebuilding its offensive line after last season’s many disasters. The risk becomes greater with Barkley no longer around to make everybody look better.
It’s why bringing Johnson back, even just on the practice squad, is such a smart decision. The Giants can still engineer more moves, including some waiver claims to round out the depth chart at other key positions, but they’re unlikely to make a better call than welcoming Johnson back into the fold.
His presence should prove useful more than once this season. Particularly when it comes to helping a revamped rushing attack get up to speed and retain a physical edge sans Barkley.
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