Overview
- The New York Giants finalized a 17-player practice squad by signing Charlie Jones, Elijah Jones, Kingsley Eguakun and Darian Kinnard on Tuesday to fill special-teams and positional depth needs.
- Charlie Jones was waived by the Cincinnati Bengals during the Aug. 30 roster cutdowns and joined New York two days later as an experienced return option after three seasons as Cincinnati’s primary returner.
- Across his Bengals tenure Jones returned 50 punts (about a 9.2-yard average) and 47 kickoffs (about a 27.3-yard average) with multiple return touchdowns, making him immediate insurance behind veteran Braxton Berrios.
- Cincinnati handed the primary return job to Ke’Shawn Williams, a move endorsed by coach Zac Taylor, and the Giants picked up Eguakun and Kinnard to add interior and tackle depth while Elijah Jones joins as a reclamation project in the secondary.
- By using the practice squad the Giants preserve short-term roster flexibility because those players can be developed in-house or signed by other teams to active rosters, a path that gives the signees a clear route to game-day promotion if injuries or performance needs arise.