Giants add vet LB, DT as roster shuffle continues
The Giants continued to discard players who were with them last season and this entire spring and summer and sign outsiders to their revolving door roster. Tuesday’s transactions were the addition of John Jenkins, a 29-year old defensive tackle, and Nate Stupar, a 30year old linebacker.
To make room for Jenkins, the Giants waived Romeo Okwara, a 23-year old defensive end.
These moves make the Giants more experienced but older, and continue a trend of utter upheaval at the back end of the roster. On Sunday, the Giants claimed an uncommonly high number of players — six — off waivers, jettisoning six players. By adding two more players, five days before the regularseason opener against the Jaguars, the tally grew to eight newcomers who were discarded by other teams and have no working knowledge of the Giants offensive and defensive systems.
“Hopefully we’re not gonna have years like this where there’s this much turnover right at the back end,’’ coach Pat Shurmur said Tuesday on WFAN. “But it is what it is. We’ve committed to making sure we try to improve the roster, even if it’s incremental.’’
Jenkins played in eight games last season for the Bears. He was a 2013 thirdround pick of the Saints out of Georgia and spent four years in New Orleans. A 327pound run-stuffer, he played in 42 games his first three years in the NFL and only 17 the past three years. He was with the Seahawks in 2016 before one season in Chicago and figures to slide in as the backup nose tackle to Damon “Snacks’’ Harrison.
Stupar is a journeyman who was a 2012 seventhround pick of the Raiders out of Penn State. He played for the 49ers, Jaguars, Fal- cons and Saints, starting only nine times in his 63 NFL games. He is coming off surgery to repair a torn ACL, an injury suffered in Week 6 last season. He will be a participant on special teams. Stupar’s uncle, Jeff Hostetler, was the winning quarterback for the Giants in Super Bowl XXV.
Okwara played in only six games last season, spending several weeks on injured reserve.
➤ Shurmur continues to be coy regarding the pecking order at quarterback behind Eli Manning. The team released its latest unofficial depth chart, and Alex Tanney and rookie Kyle Lauletta are both listed as the primary backup. Also on the depth chart: Wayne Gallman is listed ahead of veteran Jonathan Stewart at running back behind starter Saquon Barkley; Cody Latimer is listed as the No. kickoff returner and newly signed Kaelin Clay is the No. 1 punt returner.