The New York Giants struggled with injuries on their offensive line in 2023, and they haven’t gotten off to a positive start in 2024 either.
Ahead of the team’s final practice of the week on Thursday, coach Brian Daboll announced that the team’s backup center and offensive lineman Austin Schlottman was placed on the injured list (IR) after suffering a leg injury on Wednesday.
Daboll would not reveal the exact nature of Schlottmann’s injury, but said it is likely long-term and will likely keep the veteran out for more than four weeks.
With a vacancy on their 53-man roster, the Giants signed fullback/tight end Jacob Johnson.
Johnson was signed late in training camp and was waived as part of the final cuts before being signed to the practice squad. He was expected to be a weekly promotion until a spot on the main roster became available.
It happened sooner than the Giants had hoped.
The man who will fill Johnson’s practice squad spot is 27-year-old cornerback Duke Shelley.
Shelly was a sixth-round pick by the Chicago Bears in the 2019 NFL Draft, and has also played for the Minnesota Vikings (2nd overall), Las Vegas Raiders, and Los Angeles Rams.
In 52 games (11 starts), Shelly recorded 92 tackles (69 solo), one fumble recovery, 14 passes defensed and one interception.
In 2022, Shelly earned a career-high grade of 81.5 from Pro Football Focus.
