Giants sign TE/FB Jakob Johnson to 53-man roster; C Austin Schlottmann to IR

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – The Giants continued their player maneuvering today on both the active roster and practice squad.

Backup offensive lineman Austin Schlottmann was placed on injured reserve after suffering a lower leg injury in practice yesterday.

“He got rolled up on, so he’s going to be out more than, I’d say, four weeks – probably more than that, too,” coach Brian Daboll said. “So, we made the move.”

Schlottmann’s roster spot was taken by tight end/fullback Jakob Johnson, who was signed off the practice squad.

The Giants also added three players to their practice squad to reach the maximum of 17, including kicker Jude McAtamney, who receives an international player exemption.

The newcomers are defensive tackle Elijah Garcia and cornerbacks Duke Shelley and Art Green.

Garcia, 6-5 and 302 pounds, played five games the previous two seasons for the Denver Broncos, who released him on Tuesday. He originally entered the NFL as an undrafted rookie with the Los Angeles Rams in 2022. Garcia had 162 tackles (64 solo) and 6.5 sacks in 46 games at Rice University.

Shelley is the most experienced of today’s additions. He has played in 52 regular-season games with 11 starts for Chicago, Minnesota, and the Rams, as well as one postseason game for each team. He started for the Vikings in their loss to the Giants in the 2022 NFC Wild Card Game. He has 86 career tackles (63 solo), one interception, and 14 passes defensed.

Green, 6-1 and 201 pounds, spent the entire 2023 season on the Denver Broncos’ practice squad. He signed with them after going undrafted after playing three seasons at the University of Houston. Green was released on Monday.