Overview
- The Giants signed defensive lineman Dawuane Smoot to their practice squad, a move first reported by national NFL reporters and confirmed by a team source on Monday.
- Smoot is a 31-year-old, 6-foot-3, 275-pound veteran who has played 127 regular-season games since being a 2017 third-round pick and has 27.0 career sacks.
- In 2024 with the Buffalo Bills Smoot posted 16 tackles, 1.5 sacks, five tackles for loss, two forced fumbles and four QB hits, and he carries a prior fine for unnecessary roughness involving Patrick Ricard.
- The signing continues New York’s recent pattern of adding veteran defensive-line depth through practice-squad deals and workouts, including moves for Jihad Ward and additions of P.J. Mustipher and C.J. Ravenall and tryouts for Yannick Ngakoue and Julian Owkara.
- The short-term aim is to shore up outside pass-rush and run-defense depth while the team evaluates younger options such as Abdul Carter and Kayvon Thibodeaux and considers whether to elevate or replace practice-squad veterans.