The Giants’ practice squad is finally complete, and the last four additions bring a little bit of everything: return-game juice, secondary depth and more bodies up front.
New York signed wide receiver/kick returner Charlie Jones, cornerback Elijah Jones, and offensive linemen Kingsley Eguakun and Darian Kinnard on Tuesday, rounding out the group after the roster-cutdown churn.
Charlie Jones, 27, arrives with some experience as a dual-purpose weapon. A fourth-round pick of the Cincinnati Bengals in 2023, he appeared in 33 games and caught eight passes while handling both punt and kickoff returns.
He’s averaged 9.2 yards on 50 career punt returns and 27.3 yards on 47 kickoff returns. The Giants already have Braxton Berrios on the practice squad, and John Harbaugh said Monday that Berrios would be the team’s primary return man in the season-opener against the Dallas Cowboys.
Even so, Charlie Jones gives New York another option in that phase of the game.
Elijah Jones adds another corner to the mix. Arizona took him in the third round in 2024, but his rookie year was spent on injured reserve.
Last season, he played in 10 games and logged 37 defensive snaps along with 68 on special teams. He finished with three tackles and two pass breakups.
He’s listed at 6-foot-1 and 185 pounds and is 26 years old.
The offensive line got two more additions in Eguakun and Kinnard. Eguakun, 25, is a 6-foot-3, 305-pound center who began as an undrafted free agent.
He spent 2024 on the Detroit Lions’ practice squad, was waived at the end of last season, then landed with the Cleveland Browns before being waived this week when teams had to get down to 53 players. He gives the Giants center depth.
Kinnard, 26, came out of the Green Bay Packers’ cutdown process after originally entering the league as a fifth-round pick by the Kansas City Chiefs in the 2022 NFL Draft. He has played in 20 NFL games, with 17 of those appearances - including four starts - coming last season in Green Bay. At 6-5 and 322 pounds, he’s mainly a right tackle.
Here’s the full practice squad:
DL Ben Barten
WR Braxton Berrios (veteran)
WR Dalen Cambre
FB Grant Finley
OLB Trace Ford
OL Jarrod Gray (international)
QB Jake Haener
WR Jalin Hyatt (veteran)
DB Raheem Layne
LB Chandler Martin
OL Ryan Schernecke
DL Josh Tupou (veteran)
DB JT Woods
WR/KR Charlie Jones
CB Elijah Jones
OL Darian Kinnard
C Kingsley Eguakun
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Giants Rookie Report Card Could Change Early Feelings About This Draft Class
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Elsewhere, the picture was more uneven, which is typical this time of year but still worth noting for a team trying to build something. Colton Hood had moments but also showed he has work to do, and Bobby Jamison-Travis flashed potential while still looking like a player who needs more development before anyone can call the pick a sure hit. For a rookie class that is still taking shape, the early grades offer reasons for optimism without settling the biggest question of all: which of these newcomers will actually change the tone of the season? [Read more 🡒]